The Makings of a Hero
by Anasazi Darkmoon
Summary: Very Slowly Updating. Due to an unfortunate accident, Charlie is forced to take Tidus' place in Final Fantasy X. The downside? She's never played FFX before in her life! Can Charlie unravel the secrets binding Spira and make her way home? Is returning home even possible? Will she even want to leave, when a certain gruff individual manages to get into her heart? (Auron/OC)
1. Zanarkand, Ho!

**Author's Note: **I've actually decided to come back and edit some of my earlier chapters, because I noticed the site ate up a bit of my formatting. It won't change the story at all, really. I've just fixed a few things that needed fixing.

**Special Thanks:** Many thanks to all my readers. You're all awesome! Also, infinite cookies and other good things to Marlene, for being an awesome beta.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy X. It belongs to Square-Enix. Also, I don't really have anything against Tidus, other than the fact that he's pretty whiny at the beginning of the game.

* * *

Chapter 1: Zanarkand, Ho!

Charlene Brooks stared at the carefully wrapped package her mother pushed at her. "Mom, did I miss something?"

"It's your birthday, dear, did you forget already?"

Charlene gave her mother a sheepish look, and said, "Actually…yeah."

"Well, this is your birthday present, Miss Eighteen, so go ahead and open it up."

The birthday girl tore the brightly colored paper open, and her eyes widened. "A PlayStation 2...Mom, you shouldn't have!"

Her mother grinned. "I know you didn't want anything expensive, Charlie, but it's your eighteenth birthday, and I know you don't like things like 'prissy' clothes and makeup, so I got you this."

Then, almost as an afterthought, she passed her daughter a smaller package. "Oh, I figured you might want a game to go with it, so I got one of those, too."

Charlie opened the smaller package and stared at the blond haired boy on the cover. "Final Fantasy X? Keith and Johnny keep trying to tell me stuff about this game, and it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. Thank you."

…

A little while later, the girl hooked up her new PlayStation, and popped in her game. Charlie chose "New Game" and stared at the somber-looking group encamped on the outskirts of a ruined city. A sorrowful tune played in the background, and at the end of the sequence, a young male voice, apparently belonging to the blond boy, said, "Listen to my story. This may be our last chance."

Something about those words made Charlene feel uneasy, but she quickly forgot about it when a bunch of cheering people greeted the hero and started shoving weird looking blue and white balls in his face. When the time came to pick a name for her character, she decided to let him keep his own name, so "Tidus" signed autographs, flirted with girls, and listened to the advice of a creepy little boy dressed in purple. _"Okay, that kid has officially freaked me out!" _Charlie thought.

Eventually, she managed to steer Tidus through the crowd, and a cinema type scene began. At first, it was just a tournament between Tidus' team, the Zanarkand Abes, and their opponents, the Duggles, but it soon switched to a mysterious man in red. The stranger stood in a high place, and held up a white jug in salute to what appeared to be a massive tidal wave heading toward the city. Suddenly, the scene shifted back to the match, and the fans cheered as Tidus knocked an opponent out of the water, but then it changed back to the stranger, who was now walking from the wave, which had changed into a massive ball. Strangely, as the man walked through a puddle, the water lifted out of it and headed toward the ominous floating sphere.

Once again, the scene shifted back to Tidus, who was hanging above the water in the stadium, preparing to kick the living hell out of the ball in front of him, until he saw the water globe hovering beyond the city. Suddenly, several energy bullets fired out of the mysterious object, and smashed into Zanarkand, destroying the stadium in the process. The blitz pool collapsed, and Tidus managed to grab a broken girder, but still fell to the ground below. Unfortunately, the boy must have landed wrong, because he did not get up. "What the hell kind of hero dies at the beginning of the game?" Charlie shrieked when she saw that Tidus had apparently broken his neck.

Then, the scene faded, and a pulsing rainbow light oozed out of the television screen. "What the hell…" the girl began, but the liquid light flowed across the room and quickly absorbed her.

Now floating aimlessly in an odd, glowing place, Charlene found herself face-to-face with the ghostly little boy in purple. "What's going on?" she demanded. "What just happened?"

"I'm sorry," the child replied, his voice sounding slightly hollow.

He vanished, and she crashed to the soaking wet concrete next to Tidus' corpse. Charlie quickly pushed her black hair out of her face, but stopped and stared at her right hand. She was now wearing a weird metal armguard much like the one the dead hero wore on his left arm. The same short black overalls, black and yellow sneakers, and tiny yellow hooded jacket he wore had replaced her clothes as well. Thankfully, whatever strange force changed her clothes also gave her a black halter-top, so she wasn't flashing her "assets" for the whole world to see. "What in God's name is going on?" Charlie wondered as she stumbled out of the ruins of the arena.

Once outside, the bewildered girl spotted a familiar figure. _"The guy in the red coat…what was his name?" _she wracked her brain, trying to remember the names she read in the instruction booklet.

Finally, she remembered the name and shouted it aloud. "Auron!"

The man in red turned around and stared at her. "You…who are you?" he demanded. "Where's the boy?"

"Are you talking about Tidus?"

When he nodded, she sighed, "I hate to break this to you, but Tidus is dead."

Auron's voice turned flat. "What?"

"Yeah, he sort of broke his neck when he fell."

The man swore under his breath and stalked off, leaving Charlie behind. She hurried to catch up to him and shouted, "Hey, don't leave me here!"

Panicked people surged everywhere, trying to get away from the destruction, and she tried to catch up to Auron, but then time stopped. "It begins," an all-too familiar voice said from behind her.

"Huh?" The girl whipped around and saw the little boy in purple again.

"Don't cry," he told her.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Suddenly, time unfroze, and the people surged past her once again. Charlene looked around and finally spotted Auron in the distance. Once she caught up to him, she said, "Hey, you DO know that this is the wrong way, right?"

He gazed up at the ball of water hovering over the city and replied, "Look!"

When she stared at it, he continued to speak. "We called it 'Sin'."

"Sin?"

Before Charlie could say anything else about it, a large blue spear-like creature covered in tentacles smashed into a nearby building and countless pods rocketed off it. Each of the odd capsules morphed into a large creature that looked like a cross between a bird and a bug, and they surrounded the girl in a semicircle, chattering angrily. She tried to back away from them, throwing a punch at one when it got too near, but she tripped and fell flat on her butt. Then Auron held a sword out to her. The blade was long and red, and hooked downward in the front. "Take it," he ordered, staring down at her.

Charlene, not knowing what else to do, grabbed the handle, and Auron lifted her to her feet without ever letting go of the sword. _"My God, he's strong!" _she thought, staring at him with awe.

Then he let go of the blade, and she nearly dropped it on her foot. "A gift from Jecht," he said, as if that explained everything.

"Jecht? Are you talking about that weirdo on all the billboards?" she asked, before slashing at the bug creatures.

The monsters backed away, and Charlie redoubled her efforts to drive them off, once again losing her balance and falling down. Auron gave a small sigh, pulled out a massive sword that was nearly as long as he was tall, hefted it over his shoulder, and all but growled, "I hope you don't kill yourself with it."

Suddenly, the bugs surrounded them on all sides, their wings fluttering and their eyes glowing angrily. The two of them hacked and slashed the monsters, and clouds of opalescent lights rewarded them as the enemy fell. Their progress was short-lived, however, when more pods dropped, and turned into bugs. "These ones don't matter. We cut through!" Auron shouted.

Charlene didn't argue with him. They slaughtered the creatures that impeded their progress, and ran until more of the little beasts surrounded them again. "Any ideas, Chief?" the girl asked when she killed a bug, only to have it replaced by another one as soon as it fell.

"Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter, and run!" he replied, dispatching the one in front of him.

The two of them concentrated their efforts on the enemies in front of them, and once all of them were gone, they easily managed to outrun the rest of the swarm, although more pods continued to fall from the sky like a hellish rain. Then there was a loud crashing sound, and Auron ran toward it, leaving a very aggravated Charlie to catch up. When she found the swordsman, however, she also found another of the giant tentacle things, along with six or seven more bugs. "Get out of my way!" she screamed, waving her sword in what was supposed to be a threatening manner.

Auron shot her a sidelong glance, and replied, "Some can't wait to die."

Whether he was talking about her, or the monsters, she never knew, because at that moment, the huge beast waved its tentacles about, and a crushing darkness exploded around her. The little creatures moved to attack, but at the last second, the air around Auron seemed to catch fire, and he leaped skyward. A moment later, he landed with his sword pointed downward, and when it stabbed the pavement beneath, an explosion of flame burst from the street under the monsters and wiped out all the bugs, along with a few of their progenitor's tentacles.

"Jesus friggin' Christ, Auron!" Charlene swore, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "What the hell was that?"

"Dragon Fang," was his short reply.

"Oh, well that really explains it!" she muttered under her breath as she whacked the blue "spear" again.

The massive creature kept losing tentacles in clouds of those eerie lights, but it only retaliated with the same dark spell it used at the beginning of the battle. Finally, all but the largest tentacle vanished, and the thing's body suffered a series of explosions before losing more creepy lights and shriveling up like a leaf in the desert. After it died, Auron took off again, and Charlie ran after him, but stopped when she saw a bizarre blue light welling out of a crack in the street. Curious, the girl reached into it, and a warm surge of energy rushed through her, renewing her waning strength. "Okay, that was weird," she said to herself as she hurried to catch up with Auron.

She caught up to him yet again, and realized that he had her backtracking toward the stadium. Staring up at the image of Jecht, she said, "Auron, let's get out of here!"

"We're expected," he replied, his voice calm.

When the swordsman took off yet again, she screamed, "Expected? By who, the Queen of England?"

By now, Charlene was seriously considering washing her hands of the whole affair, but then she remembered that Auron might be her only ticket home, so she continued to follow him. Then, another rain of bugs fell from the sky, and a huge swarm of the annoying creatures surrounded the both of them. The lost girl and the swordsman hacked at their attackers for a while, but more kept coming, and Auron smirked and said, "Hmph, this could be bad."

"Oh really, you think?" was his unhappy partner's reply.

The swordsman quickly surveyed the situation, and noticed a tanker hanging haphazardly off the side of the bridge. "That! Knock it down!" he yelled to Charlene.

"What? Are you out of your damn mind?"

"Trust me. You'll see."

She wasn't happy about it, but did as he said and attacked the tanker. It seemed to take forever, even with the two of them working together, but finally, the machine fell to its doom and exploded. All the bugs died, but then the bridge started to collapse, and Auron shouted, "Go!"

It seemed like the whole world was blowing itself to pieces, and Charlie voiced her dislike of the idea of running on an exploding bridge quite loudly. "You crazy son of a bitch! I want to go home, not get blown to kingdom come!"

The irate teenager threw herself at the ledge, just as the last remnants of the bridge collapsed from beneath her feet, and found herself hanging above the abyss by her hands and the last vestiges of her strength. Auron slowly stepped to the ledge and stared down at her, while the ball of water that was Sin hovered directly overhead. "Auron! Auron, what are you doing?" she shouted, her voice wheedling slightly due to her fear of heights.

Sin's form changed, and looked like a giant wormhole from a sci-fi movie that was swallowing everything around it. Charlene continued to struggle as the swordsman stared up at the living vortex. "She isn't the one we came for," he said to voice that only he could hear.

"_Oh great! I'm stuck at the mercy of a psycho!" _she thought bitterly, trying to suppress a bout of hysterical laughter.

"You are sure?" he asked the unheard voice.

Apparently, it responded with a yes, because Auron sighed, reached down, and picked Charlie up by one of the straps to her overalls. "This is it," he told her as he hauled her up. "You aren't the one we wanted, but I guess you'll have to do."

She told him several painful, and probably physically impossible, things that he could do with himself as she scowled down at his face. One dark brown eye hidden behind dark sunglasses impassively stared back at her. The other eye was sealed shut by a terrible scar. _"He's trying to hide it, but there's a terrible sadness in his face…Wait, what the hell am I doing thinking about that at a time like this?"_

They reached the blinding light of the event horizon, and he said, "It all begins here."

Then, Auron vanished and the burning light swallowed her. _"What the hell am I gonna do now?" _was her last thought before the light faded and unconsciousness consumed her.


	2. Unknown Temple

Chapter 2: Unknown Temple

…_Flash…_

Charlene found herself floating above Zanarkand as if she was underwater. The city was normal again, for the most part, but now a strange flaming sigil burned in the background. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, slowly drifting toward a platform where a mysterious figure awaited. "Is this some kind of crazy dream?"

The confused girl's descent finally stopped, and the waiting figure turned out to be the little purple-clad boy from before. "This wasn't supposed to happen," he said, his voice still sounding hollow.

"What? Are you talking about Tidus breaking his neck? If you are, then you're just stating the obvious, little man."

"I'm sorry, but we need your help now," he sadly replied. "You will have to take his place and do the tasks we had set for him."

"No way!" Charlie shouted, "Didn't you see that disaster in Zanarkand? I was barely able to swing that damn sword around as it was! I'm not cut out to be a hero!"

"I believe in you…we believe in you, Charlie, and we will help you. I know you don't want to do this, but you're our only hope now."

…_Flash…_

Charlene woke up lying on a pile of rubble, and she sat up and looked around, but the only other living thing she saw was a gray and red bird preening itself nearby. "Hello?" she called, hoping that maybe another human would respond. "Is anyone out there?"

Her only response was the dull rumble of thunder. Finally, her anger slipped free, and she screamed, "Auron! You had better hope to God that I don't find you, because your ass is grass if I do!"

Startled by Charlie's outburst, the bird took flight, and as the girl watched it, she noticed that it winged its way toward a large, temple-like structure in the distance. "Okay, I really don't want to go to that creepy place," she muttered to herself, finally getting to her feet.

She jumped into the water and aimlessly swam about for a while, putting off going to the temple for as long as possible, and she noticed that her swimming ability had somewhat improved. Apparently, that was the "help" the little boy told her about. During her explorations, Charlene found a dry platform, which she eagerly climbed, hoping that it might lead to a different exit, but it turned out to be a dead-end. "Wonderful!" she growled, kicking an old wooden chest in frustration.

The lid of the box popped open, and inside it lay a black pouch made of some material she had never seen before, a belt made of the same material, several small vials of a strange, pale blue liquid, and a small pile of what Charlie guessed were foreign coins. "Well, there's no one else here, so I guess this stuff is mine now," she said, putting the objects in the pouch and belting it around her waist.

Finally, the girl decided to stop procrastinating, and she headed for the temple, but another dead-end impeded her progress. "Now what?" she wondered, looking around for another possible route.

Suddenly, a flash of movement under the water caught her eye, and the pathway beneath her collapsed, unceremoniously dumping her into the water below. "Well this is just fantastic!" she shrieked, extremely irritated by the dunking. "Do any other disasters want to come out and show themselves, or is that the last one for the day?"

Then, as if from nowhere, three fishlike monsters appeared and leapt about her in a circle before rushing her. Charlie dove underwater and barely evaded their attack, but they followed her, so she pulled her sword out and prepared to defend herself. Dodging yet another attack, the "swordswoman" managed to slash one of the little beasts, and as it died, it disintegrated into a cloud of rainbow colored lights. Before she could wonder about it, though, the other two fish charged her, and she had to swim out of the way again. Finally, she managed to slay another monster, leaving only one behind.

Instead of attacking, however, the creature watched her carefully, its green eyes glittering with hatred. Charlie glared back at it, and moved to strike it down, but then the ruins shook, and another, much bigger monster emerged from the shadows. It looked like a cross between a prehistoric fish and an armor-plated squid, and each of its many tentacles had a red light pulsing from the ends. Terrified, the small fish monster tried to swim away, but "Fishzilla" quickly caught and ate it. _"Oh damn!" _Charlie thought, as the beast turned its attention toward her.

The beast lashed out at the girl with one of its large, plated fins, and nearly knocked her out with a single blow! Dazed, Charlene drifted toward the floor of the ruins, and "Fishzilla" swam after her, its mouth open and ready to devour her in one bite. At what seemed like the last moment, she recovered from the blow, and somehow managed to stab the monster in the roof of its mouth, causing it to shriek in pain and back away long enough for Charlie to make her escape. _"Must go faster! Must go faster!" _her mind screamed, as her pursuer redoubled its efforts to turn her into dinner.

The terrified girl swam as fast as her arms and legs could take her, hoping and praying that she could make it to the underwater entrance to the temple before she became lunchmeat. Apparently, luck was with her, because she was almost completely in the thing's mouth when she made it through the opening and "Fishzilla" smashed into the doorway. The force of the monster's impact practically launched Charlie the rest of the way through the door just before the roof collapsed, effectively trapping her in the temple.

…

A little while later, Charlene wandered through the abandoned and mostly soaked building, trying to warm herself up in the dank chill, when she found a large, relatively empty room. Looking around and shivering, she said, "I've got to get a fire going, otherwise I'm going to end up a human Popsicle!"

Then her eyes alighted on the remains of a campfire, and she set off on a quest to find something she could use to start a new one. She managed to find a couple of pieces of flint without too much difficulty, but she didn't find anything dry enough to use as tinder until after she climbed the stairs to the second floor. With all the necessary equipment in hand, Charlie hurried back downstairs to start her fire, and finally noticed that there was another fountain of blue light welling up out of a crack in the floor. "Hey, this is just like that one I saw back in Zanarkand," she said, sticking her hand in the sapphire glow.

Just as it had in Zanarkand, the light sent a surge of strength rushing through her body. However, it didn't warm her up, nor did it do anything about the now-obvious growling in her stomach, so she left it and started her fire. Sitting close enough to get warm without burning herself, Charlie ignored her hunger and finally drifted off to sleep…

…_Flash…_

She stood alone in her living room, wondering if everything she just experienced was some kind of dream, when someone walked up behind her. Charlie turned around, expecting it to be her mother, but instead, Auron stood there, staring down at her over his high collar and through his dark sunglasses. "What the hell are you doing in my house?" she demanded. "Wait, I've got a better question: HOW did you get in my house? You're not even real…at least, you aren't supposed to be."

"I need your help," he told her, his expression unreadable.

That simple sentence stunned her into silence. Auron asking her for help seemed about as likely as Saddam Hussein handing out Christmas presents! What did he want from her? "What are you talking about?" she wanted to know. "How in God's name am I supposed to help you?"

"Come with me," he replied, grabbing her wrist.

"Hey, wait a minute! I just got back here, and I'm not letting you drag me off to some other screwed-up place!"

Auron didn't say anything, nor did he let go of her wrist. Instead, he just stared at her, and it made her angry. "Auron, let go of me!" she hissed, trying to pull herself free.

He shook his head at her, and Charlie hit him, or rather, tried to, but he caught her other wrist, and refused to let go. "Let me go, damn it!" she shouted.

She glared at him, swearing profusely, but she stopped when she saw the look in his eye. It was one of great and terrible sorrow. _"I know that look…" _she thought, _"I know it all too well. He lost someone he really cared for, and he's trying so hard to hide the pain…"_

…_Flash…_

Charlie's head jerked up as she snapped out of her doze. "Damn it, girl!" she berated herself, "You need to stop thinking about that and concentrate on getting the hell out of here!"

Then she realized that her little fire was sputtering and dying. "No! Hold on just a little longer while I go find some more wood!"

The frantic girl turned away, and then looked up as a terrible screech rang out overhead. Hanging on the railing of the second floor balcony was a huge insect-like creature with virulent yellow eyes and a huge barb growing out of its back! The monster shrieked again, and ran along the walls of the room in a huge circle before dropping in front of Charlie and flashing its sword blade claws at her. Fortunately, she had kept her sword out, and she was able to get to it and evade the creature's attack before it sliced her to ribbons. She retaliated with an awkward two-handed slash that didn't do much damage, but managed to give her some breathing room. _"Either that weird kid made the sword lighter, or made me stronger, because there's no way in hell I could have swung this damn thing around like this earlier!" _she thought.

Charlie paid for the momentary distraction, however, because the monster leapt at her and scored a nasty slash on her right arm. If not for the armguard, she would have lost that limb, quickly followed by her life. The two foes fought for quite a while, when a previously sealed door exploded off its hinges, stunning both Charlene and the monster. "What the hell…" the startled girl began, but fell silent as the dust cleared.

In the doorway stood a group of what she guessed were commandos with rifles, goggles, and strange outfits. Leading them was a girl in a pink and beige bodysuit, and as she stepped up alongside Charlie, she nodded at the monster and flashed what looked like a set of clawed metal knuckles on her right hand. "Woohoo! Someone's finally on my side!" she cheered as she and the mystery girl teamed up on the bug.

The new girl obviously knew more about monster slaying than Charlie did, but her attacks relied more on speed rather than power, with a couple of hand grenades thrown in for good measure. Finally, the two girls defeated the creature, and it, too, collapsed into a cloud of lights. Turning to her partner, Charlene stared as the mysterious girl pulled off her goggles, revealing a pair of leaf-green eyes with spiral pupils. _"Weird…but cool," _she thought, while sighing, "Thank God that's over!"

Suddenly, one of the other commandos, a bald one with a heavy blond beard grabbed her by her hair and wrenched her head back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled, struggling to free herself.

Then the rest of the squad, except for the girl, pointed their rifles at her, and she stopped moving. To make matters worse, the bastards started babbling angrily in a language she never heard before in her life! Finally, a man in a bright yellow gas mask pulled out a wicked-looking knife and held it against her throat. _"Oh shit! They're probably deciding whether they should slit me open lengthwise or crosswise!" _her she screamed in her head, trying not to panic when she saw that she couldn't read anyone's expressions.

The man with the knife barked a question at the girl, and she responded in the same language. Charlie just hoped that it meant something along the lines of "let her go". The knife wielder pointed his blade at the girl and said something else, but she shook her head, babbled some more, and finally the commandos let their captive go. The mystery girl strode up to Charlie, gave her a regretful look, and quite clearly said, "Cunno."

Before she could try to figure out what that meant, her "savior" punched her in the stomach, and she went down without a sound. Charlie's world spun around, and slowly faded to black as the commando girl walked away and the rest of the squad gathered around her. _"Damn it! I think I'll add that brat to the ass-kicking list for dragging me into this mess!" _she thought savagely as the darkness finally claimed her.


	3. Swimming is Fun

Chapter 3: Swimming is Fun

Charlie awoke to a dull ache in her gut, and a forest of ankles around her. She sat up and looked around long enough to notice that she was now on some kind of ship, but then one of her captors noticed that she was awake, and the scenery became the least of her worries. The dazed girl got to her feet, but then one of the commandos shoved her roughly and barked a command in the same strange language from earlier. "Hey, that hurt, you jackass!" she growled, but he ignored her and continued babbling at her, waving his gun in a threatening manner. "Hey, whatever dude. You've got the gun, so you call the shots."

Just then, a hatch opened, and the mystery girl from the temple and a heavily tattooed man in suspenders and a blond Mohawk emerged from below decks. Charlene stared searchingly at them, hoping that they weren't going to change their minds and cut her into fish bait, and finally Tattoo-Boy spoke up. Apparently, it was some kind of search order, because the commandos hauled her to her feet and briskly patted her down. "Hey, don't get so familiar!" she hissed, as she pulled free from their grip.

After that ordeal was over, the tattooed moron started making swimming motions, grunting like an animal all the while, and Charlie eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he had any marbles under his stupid haircut. "Riiiight…" she said, inching back a step.

He gaped at her in what she supposed was a bewildered expression, but it was hard to tell with the goggles in the way. "Tu oui hud cbayg?" he asked, before pointing at some strange silver necklace and grunting again.

The now-irate girl's indigo blue eyes flashed angrily, but she smiled brightly and said, "Oh look, a trained monkey!"

The acid in her voice must have been obvious, because Tattoo-Boy shrieked something in his language, and the man in the gas mask pointed his rifle at her chest. _"Boy, I've really stepped in it now, haven't I?" _she thought, mentally kicking herself as she closed her eyes and waited for a bullet.

Suddenly, the pink-clad commando girl called out in the peculiar tongue, stopping the situation, and turned to Charlie and said, "He said you can stay if you make yourself useful!"

Charlene's eyes flew open in surprise, and she stared down at the much shorter girl in disbelief. "You speak English! Why didn't you say anything before?"

Before she could get a response, however, one of the lackeys shoved her, causing her to stumble and almost fall on her face. "Hey, I'll work already, so stop pushing me!"

She turned back to the mystery girl, and said, "Well, what do you guys want me to do?"

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. They're not active now, but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there to activate them, and then we should be able to salvage the big prize!" she chirped.

"Sounds like fun," Charlie sarcastically replied, but it was lost in her "partner's" enthusiasm.

"Okay, let's get to work!"

…

A little while later, the two girls jumped ship and quickly swam into the depths of the ocean. _"Jesus Christ! I must have the lung capacity of a damn sperm whale or something!" _Charlie thought after she realized she'd been underwater for almost fifteen minutes without needing a breath. _"That freaky little kid really did a number on me, didn't he?"_

They managed to get into the ruins without too much difficulty, and after pushing several buttons to get the unfamiliar equipment to work; Charlie resorted to force and bashed the machinery into submission. _"I guess violence IS the answer!" _she thought, trying not to snicker and accidentally drown herself as the ancient console slowly came to life.

Various lights came on, and a rather large school of piranha-like fish emerged from the tunnel behind them. The two girls managed to dispatch the little monsters without too much difficulty, and once they finished their work, made their way back to the entrance. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a gigantic blue octopus appeared and lashed out at the two girls with its many tentacles. They managed to evade the attack, but before they could retaliate, the beast quickly swam to the other side of the room, effectively blocking the exit. Charlie watched it carefully for a moment, and then turned to her companion, pointed at her, then at the squid. The mystery girl nodded her assent, and the two of them split up, hemming in their enemy with a pincer formation. After that, the battle was a fairly simple one, with the two girls attacking the octopus and trying to avoid its lashing tentacles as it attempted to defend itself. Its efforts were in vain, however, and it collapsed into a cloud of the unusual flickering lights, but not before it knocked Charlene into the wall.

Dazed and in pain, she drifted to the floor as her still unnamed partner quickly swam over to aid her. The commando girl pulled out a bottle of familiar-looking pale blue liquid, popped off the top, and held the open end against Charlie's aching ribs. Defying all logic, the strange substance plopped out of the bottle and rolled against her injured side, instead of dissipating in the seawater. Then it vanished and a surge of strength, much akin to that from the blue light back at the temple, flowed through her body, transforming a sharp pain to a dull ache in an instant! _"What the hell is that stuff…and where have I seen it before?" _Charlie wondered as she followed her partner out of the ruins and back toward the surface.

…

A little while later, they were back on the ship, and the men were talking excitedly amongst themselves…probably about the mechanical monstrosity the undersea lights had revealed. They walked back inside the ship, and Charlie started to follow, but one of them turned around, shoved her, and said something that most likely translated into "Keep your carcass out here!"

"I helped out, you know!" she muttered as the hatch slid shut.

They ignored her, so she went and plopped down on the deck, trying to ignore the insistent gnawing in her stomach. "Lousy slave-driving bastards!" she muttered angrily as she stared at the predawn sky.

Eventually, she found herself starting to doze off when someone kicked her in the shoulder. "Hey, what the hell was…" Charlene began, but stopped when she saw that it was the commando girl, and she had a plate of food in her hands. "Oh, wow! Thanks a lot!" she said, gratefully taking the tray.

The food was delicious, but unfortunately, it was also very spicy, which caught her off-guard and caused her to cough violently. The commando quickly tossed the choking girl a small canteen of water and said, "Oops, I forgot to mention it was spicy."

Charlie quickly finished off the water and got to her feet. "Thanks for the food. Really. So, uh…what's your name?"

"Rikku."

"I'm Charlene, but everyone just calls me Charlie. Hey, why didn't you say that you could understand me earlier?"

"I didn't get a chance to because everyone thought oui were a fiend!" Rikku replied.

"Uh…'we'?"

"Oh, 'oui' means 'you'."

"Right. Well, who are you guys anyway?" Charlie asked, happy to have a decent conversation at last.

Rikku paused for a long moment, clearly taken aback by the question. "We're Al Bhed…can't you tell?" Then she stopped and gave her a worried look. "You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?"

"Rikku, I don't even know what an Al Bhed is, so how can I hate you for that?"

Considering this, the Al Bhed girl thought for a moment, then asked, "Where are you from?"

"You got time for a long story?"

…

Charlene spent the next hour or so telling Rikku about her home, how she ended up in Zanarkand while Sin was attacking, and about Auron and the light, but she deliberately left out the fact that this was all supposed to be a video game. When she finished her tale, she turned back to Al Bhed, who just gaped at her, spiral green eyes wide with surprise. "Uh…Rikku? Did I say something wrong?"

"Charlie…you were near Sin, but don't worry, you'll be better in no time! They say that your head gets funny when Sin is near, so maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

"I had a dream?"

"Yeah, because of Sin's toxin."

"Are you sure about that, Rikku?" Charlie's tone was doubtful.

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore because Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago."

"But…I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! That couldn't have happened that long ago…could it?"

Rikku nodded sadly, and Charlene shoved a stray lock of black hair out of her face and sighed, "Now what am I gonna do?"

"You should go to Luca!" the commando suggested. "There are lots of people there, so maybe someone will know who you are, or you'll see someone you recognize."

"Luca? Okay, you've just lost me again."

The Al Bhed shook her head and paced around for a bit, but finally came back and said, "Just leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, I promise!" When Charlie nodded in agreement, she continued to speak. "Okay, I'll go tell the others, so just wait here."

Rikku started to leave, but then quickly turned around and said, "Oh, and whatever you do, don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand. Yevon says it's a holy place, so you might upset someone."

"Whatever." Charlie didn't know what a "Yevon" was, but she figured that Rikku knew what she was talking about, so she wasn't about to argue. _"I don't know what everyone's deal is, but Zanarkand looked about as 'holy' as New York or Los Angeles."_

Satisfied with the "sick" girl's answer, Rikku went back inside, leaving Charlene alone with her thoughts, which were becoming increasingly irritated. Sin? Luca? Yevon? This place was one oddball event after another and it was really grating on her nerves. Finally, the reluctant "hero" kicked an unoffending piece of equipment and yelled, "Damn it, this really sucks!"

Suddenly, the ship started shuddering violently, and the Al Bhed hurried onto the deck, screaming all kinds of things, but the only word Charlie could make out was "Sin". "Oh, joy!" she groaned as a jet of water violently burst from the surface of the sea.

While the crew panicked, the huge spray of water worked its way toward the ship, and then disappeared as Sin went under it. The salvage vessel shook again, and Charlie slipped and fell over the side! Upon hitting the water, she a whirlpool engulfed her, instantly sucking her into the blue darkness. _"You know, I'm REALLY starting to get tired of this losing consciousness routine…"_


	4. Besaid Island

Chapter 4: Besaid Island

Charlene finally awoke several hours later and realized that she was lying facedown in the water. She quickly pulled her head above the surface and looked around, frantically searching for some sign of life or land. "Hello! Is there anybody out there?" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.

Suddenly, something hard whacked her in the back of the head, causing the world to spin, but she managed to stay conscious as she turned around and found what hit her. A large, bumpy, blue and white ball roughly the size of a basketball floated serenely in the water and Charlie picked it up and stared at it. "Hey, this is like those balls they had in Zanarkand!"

"Hey, are you okay?" called a strangely accented male voice, effectively snapping her out of her reverie.

The confused girl started at the source of the voice and saw several men in yellow uniforms standing on the beach. "Hi, how are you?" she cried, happy to finally see someone who wasn't pointing a gun at her.

Charlie then experimentally hefted the strange ball a couple of times and chucked it as hard as she could. The blue and white sphere speedily rocketed across the distance, past the heads of the men in yellow, and eventually rolled to a stop in the sparkling ivory sand. "Holy shit! I can't believe I just did that!" she whispered, amazed at how far she threw the ball. _"How in the world did I do that?"_

Deciding to wait until later to figure it out, she started to swim toward the shore, but suddenly stopped when she felt a tugging sensation in her soul. _"What the hell is that?" _she wondered as the strange feeling started up again.

Following the pull, she changed course toward a small, secluded area, and the voice from earlier shouted, "Hey, where're you going?"

"Just give me a moment," she replied, "I just need to check something out."

Charlene found an old chest lying in the hidden area, and when she opened it, a mysterious silver disc lay inside. Engraved on its surface were several pictures of the moon in its different phases, and some tiny writing along the edge. Squinting at the small letters, she was barely able to make out the word "Yareach", and when she picked it up and put it in her pouch, the peculiar feeling vanished. _"Maybe one of those dudes over there knows what this thing is," _she muttered as she left the little nook and swam to the beach.

Upon arriving at the shore, the yellow uniformed men approached Charlie, and she found herself staring at one in particular. He was tall and muscular, with dark skin, friendly brown eyes, and the craziest orange hair she'd seen in her life. It looked like he could snap the crest off and use it as a weapon! Trying not to laugh, Charlene smiled at Carrot-Top and said, "Hi!"

"That was a nice pass you made back there," Carrot-Top replied, impressed by her throw. "Who you play for?"

"Play? What are you talking about?"

"The Cap'n wants to know what blitzball team you play for, ya?" a scarred redhead replied.

Charlie looked blank for a moment, but finally said, "Are you talking about that game they were playing in Zanarkand?"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she had just said the wrong thing. Carrot-Top and his friends just stared at her, their expressions looking as if someone smacked them in the backs of their heads with a board. The orange haired man looked at her closely and said, "Say that again."

"Uh…never mind. I got too close to Sin, so now everything is all screwed up. About the only thing I'm sure of right now is my name, so I'm sorry if I freaked you guys out." Charlie hoped that the excuse would work, because she didn't think she could come up with a better one on short notice.

Apparently, it was a good excuse, because Carrot-Top gave her a relieved look and said, "Sin's toxin got to you, but you're still alive." He and his gang simultaneously performed the same odd gesture as the kids in Zanarkand. "Praise be to Yevon," he intoned.

"_Okay…" _the bewildered teen thought as they completed their little ritual, _"This is just really strange."_

Once they were finished, Carrot-Top turned to his group, and barked, "All right, back to practice!" Then, he turned back to Charlie and said, "I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs."

"I'm Charlie…and I have absolutely no idea where I am or how I got here," she replied, not really knowing what else to say.

"Charlie, eh? What kind of name is that?"

"What kind of name is Wakka?" she irritably snapped, but then sighed, "I'm sorry. I've just had a really bad time of it recently, and I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Hey, no problem," he smiled. "You'll probably feel better once we go back to the village and get you somethin' to eat, ya?"

The two of them started to leave the beach, but then Charlie stopped and said, "Hey Wakka, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well, actually I want to ask you a lot of stuff, but I think I'd better start with that," she said, pointing at the well of blue light flowing out of the sand nearby. It was identical to the ones she saw in Zanarkand and in the temple.

"That's a Life Spring, ya?" When the blitz captain saw her blank stare, he said, "Life Springs are places of healing that can be found all over Spira, and the teachings say that they are the blessing of Yevon. Hey, maybe you can see if it will heal your toxin sickness!"

Charlie started to say that she didn't have any toxin sickness, but upon seeing Wakka's hopeful expression, she changed her mind and touched the Life Spring anyway. After the usual surge of strength rushed through her, she turned and shook her head. "Sorry, but it didn't do anything besides make me feel a little stronger." When she saw his crestfallen look, she patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I really appreciate the thought, though. Thank you."

The blitzer grinned, and the two of them continued their journey up the path to the village, with him answering her questions as they walked. He told her about how people used to overuse machina and play all the time, that Sin came and destroyed all the cities as punishment, and that everyone had to repent for their sins. Charlene thought it was kind of stupid, but she kept her opinions to herself. Finally, they arrived at a cliff overlooking a lagoon and she scratched her head and said, "Wakka are you sure this is the right way?"

Instead of answering, he pushed her off the edge, and she let out a shriek as she landed in the water with an enormous splash. Quickly resurfacing, she yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you? I didn't say I wanted to swim to the village, damn it!"

Wakka grinned down at her, and then dove off the cliff, splashing her upon landing and soaking her all over again. "This is a shortcut, ya?" he replied once he surfaced. "We'll reach the village much faster this way."

The blitzer swam off, and Charlie shook her head and sighed, but followed him anyway. Despite the occasional attack by small schools of piranha-like fish, the dark haired girl found herself drifting into her own thoughts. _"Wakka seems like a really nice guy…except for the whole pushing me off a cliff thing. I feel like I can trust him, but…"_

Suddenly, she realized that Wakka was missing, but before she could look for him, something came out of the water behind her and grabbed her shoulder. Shrieking and groping for her sword, Charlie turned to face her attacker. "Jesus Christ, Wakka! You scared the hell out of me!" she hissed when she saw who it was.

"Hey, I'm sorry, ya? I didn't know you'd react like that," he replied, startled by her vehemence.

"Just…don't do it again, okay?" she sighed, "I've seen a lot of monsters lately, so I'm a little paranoid, and I might hurt you on accident."

Wakka looked doubtful, but he shrugged and said, "I just wanted to ask you if you'd join my team."

"Join your team? Wakka, I've never played blitzball before in my life! Why in God's name would you want me on your team?"

"That pass you made back on the beach was pretty good for someone who's never played before. Besides, there's a major tournament coming up, and all the teams in Spira will be there!"

"Spira? Is that the world, or something?"

"Yeah! Anyway, it's so huge, so I'm sure someone will recognize you!"

Charlie just gaped at him. He wanted her to play a sport that didn't even exist on her world, at a tournament, in front of God and everyone! He had to be joking or something. "Hey, it's your funeral, man," she replied before swimming away.

"Is that a 'yes'?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"Personally, I think you've lost your mind, but yeah, I'll play."

"Woohoo! We're gonna rock, eh?"

…

Eventually, Charlie and Wakka got out of the lagoon, and ended up on a path overlooking yet another cliff. "Heights…I really hate heights!" she grumbled before staring at the tiny village below. "This is where I was born," Wakka told her as they continued to look down at the little town. "I started blitz when I was five, and joined the Aurochs when I was thirteen…ten years ago."

"You started kind of early, didn't you?"

He sighed, and instead of answering her question, said, "Ten years…and we never won a game."

Charlie just stared at the blitzer in utter amazement, but his back was to her, so he didn't notice. _"No wonder he wants me on his team…he's completely and totally desperate!"_

"Well, I quit after last year's tournament…the time seemed right. Anyway, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my mind wandered, I started thinking about the game."

"I can imagine…" Charlene vaguely replied, still stunned by how awful his team had to be.

"My first match last year was my big chance, but something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus," he finished, turning back to her.

"I see…" she said, trying to keep from saying something rude. "So you want to win this big tournament and go out in style?"

Wakka nodded, and she continued to speak. "So, do you have a team goal, or what?"

He shrugged. "I don't care how we do, long as we play our best. If we give it our all, then I can walk away happy."

"What the hell? Wakka, when someone asks you that, you're supposed to say 'victory'! When you play anything, you play to win, whether it's this big tournament of yours or a game of tiddlywinks!"

"What's tiddlywinks?"

"What? That's not the point! The point is that you have to believe that YOU WILL WIN! You understand?" Charlie was trying very hard to keep from shaking him in exasperation.

Wakka thought about it for a moment, and said, "You serious?"

She nodded and the two of them continued walking toward the village, until they ran into two men on the road. One was a handsome redhead in green and blue, and the other was a dark skinned boy in green and beige who looked even younger than Charlie did. The handsome one looked at Charlie and smiled, "Ah, you're the one from the sea."

"How did you know about that?" she wanted to know.

"I told them about you while you were off beyond the cliff at the beach," Wakka explained.

"Oh."

"Be on guard because there are fiends on the road today," said the dark skinned boy, sounding quite bored.

Then the redhead spoke up again, and said, "After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now."

Finished with their warning, the two of them ran off, leaving Wakka and Charlene standing in the path. "So…who were they?" she asked, looking confused.

"Luzzu and Gatta. They're Crusaders," he replied as if it explained everything.

Suddenly, Charlie got this weird mental picture of the religious Crusades she learned about in school, but shook her head and said, "Oh…okay…"

"What, did you forget that, too?" Wakka asked, but when she gave him an unhappy look, he said, "Hey, I'm sorry. I'll help you out, so don't worry."

"Thank you."

"Anyway, the Crusaders have a lodge in the village, so you can ask them yourself." He started to walk off again, but stopped and said, "Hey, what were you doing out at the beach anyway?"

"Oh, well I saw this old chest out in this secluded spot, and I went to go see what was inside," she replied, pulling out the mysterious silver object and handing it to Wakka. "I found that, but I don't really know what it is."

The blitzer studied it for a few moments, but in the end, handed it back to her and said, "I don't know what it is, either, but it looks like its missing something, ya?"

She put it back in her pouch, but then pulled out one of the little bottles and a couple of the strange coins. "Well, maybe you can tell me what the rest of this stuff is, then?"

…

A little while later, after a lesson on Potions and Gil, the two of them arrived in the village, and now that they were close, the strangeness of the architecture made itself apparent. "Wow, the houses all look like puffball mushrooms!" Charlie mentally snickered as she walked through the entrance.

"This is Besaid Village," Wakka proudly announced.

"So, is there anyplace I can crash at around here?" Charlie wanted to know.

He pointed at a house on the right, and said, "You can stay over there, later, but you should really take a look around, first." Then, pointing at a place on the left, he said, "The Crusader's Lodge is over yonder, and Luzzu and Gatta are usually there, if you want to ask them anything."

Suddenly, Wakka walked to the side of one of the houses, where no one could see him, and motioned for Charlie to come over. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You do remember the prayer, right?"

"Uh…no?"

He stared at her for a moment, completely astonished, but then recovered and said, "All right, I'll show you." He used the same pose he and the Aurochs had used on the beach: right arm over left, as if he were holding a ball, and a bow. "Go on, now you try it."

Charlie copied him, but he stopped her and said, "Nah, you've got your arms reversed."

"I'm left-handed, but whatever," she replied, trying the prayer again and getting it right.

"Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner," Wakka told her, satisfied that she did the prayer properly.

"_It's just my luck that I'd end up in some place with strict religious rules," _she thought as she explored the village. There wasn't much to explore, however, since the town mostly consisted of people's houses and she did want to invade anyone's privacy. Eventually, Charlie walked into the Crusader's Lodge, where she found Gatta and Luzzu sitting at the nearby table. The dark skinned boy, Gatta, if she correctly remembered, looked up at her and said, "Hey, you! You were recently attacked by Sin, right?"

"Yeah, I think it was pretty recent…why?"

"Then…Sin can't be far away! You aren't hiding anything, are you?"

The boy's tone was accusing, and Charlie didn't like it one bit. "Why in friggin' hell would I hide something like that?" she demanded.

"If Sin is nearby, then it'll attack the island for sure," Luzzu explained, but his expression was troubled. "I wonder why it hasn't."

"I'm sorry I can't help you, but I really don't know anything. Hell, I don't even know what the Crusaders are."

Gatta stared at her as if she'd just sprouted an extra head and said, "You're kidding, right?"

Luzzu gave the "sick" girl the same startled look, and said, "Sin! The toxin's affected you, hasn't it?" Then he turned to his young charge and said, "Gatta, tell her who we are!"

"Yes, sir!" Gatta jumped to his feet, made a militaristic salute, and went into a long litany about the Crusader's fight against Sin, and their formation by the Great Hero, Mi'ihen, around eight hundred years ago.

"Wait a minute! You guys have been fighting Sin for eight hundred years, and you STILL haven't beaten it?"

Gatta sputtered some unintelligible response and sat down, as Luzzu said, "Well, we've managed to steer Sin away from towns many times! That's all we can do, because no one's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira."

"Well, if it's not your job to defeat it, then whose is it?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Sir…is Sin's toxin really this bad?" Gatta asked

"It does seem rather bad…" Then he turned to Charlie, gave her a kind smile, and said, "We could just tell you, but I think it better for you to try to remember. Go pray at the temple and perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory."

…

Charlene entered the temple and looked around. There were life-sized statues of priests and priestesses everywhere, but most of the people prayed at one of the four huge statues that dominated the room. Finally, one figure caught her attention and she walked over to it. It was a statue of a man in voluminous robes, with a belt and headdress of peculiar design, and a staff in his right hand. Despite the stern attire, the man's face seemed very kind, but sad. "Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became High Summoner," a man said from directly behind her, nearly startling her out of her wits.

Charlie whipped around, thinking, _"I swear to God I'm gonna end up knocking someone on their ass if people don't quit sneaking up on me!"_

She opened her mouth to tell off whoever it was, but stopped when she saw that the man was a priest in orange, blue, and white robes. He stood next to her, and said, "Ten years…and now we finally have a statue for our temple."

"Right, well, I hate to be a buzz-kill, but what's a High Summoner?"

Everyone in the temple stopped and gave Charlie that thunderstruck look she was growing so tired of. "I…got too close to Sin's toxin," she explained, all the while thinking, _"Stupid, stupid. I shouldn't have to explain myself to these idiots! This is just pathetic!"_

Then, everyone made the prayer gesture, and the priest said, "The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, and are sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few can become summoners, who call forth entities of great power...the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon."

"Thanks for explaining it to me," she replied, before turning around and leaving the temple. _"So, I guess that Yevon is supposed to be God, the High Summoner is like a saint, and the aeon-things…I don't really know WHAT the hell those are supposed to be!"_

Charlie walked into Wakka's hut, and muttered, "All of this is really making my head hurt."

The blitzer looked up at her and said, "Charlie, you just say somethin'?" When she shook her head, he frowned and said, "Why don't you take a nap? You look bushed!"

She nodded and smiled gratefully at him, stretched out across the bed, and shut her eyes. _"Maybe I'll wake up and all of this will just have been a dream," _she thought as she started to doze off.

Charlene wasn't quite asleep yet when she heard someone else come inside. "You could at least go see how they are doing." Judging by the voice, it was the priest from earlier.

She heard Wakka get up, and he replied, "We can't interfere; it's a rule."

"But it's been nearly…" Then, they walked out of the hut, and sleep overcame Charlie, bringing dreams along with it.


	5. Meetings

Chapter 5: Meetings

…_Flash…_

Charlie opened her eyes and confusedly stared at the fluorescent light that glowed overhead. That wasn't right. She didn't have a light like that in her bedroom. Suddenly, a high-pitched beeping sound registered in her ears and she bolted upright and almost blacked out when her head started to spin. "Oh Charlie, you're finally awake!" her mother joyfully cried, her voice shaky with repressed sobs.

"Finally?" Charlene felt like she had been asleep for a long time, and her head felt foggy. "Mom, what happened? The last thing I remember was going out with Marcus to pick up a pizza… Speaking of which, where is he, anyway?"

At that question, tears filled her mother's eyes, and she softly said, "Charlie, honey, it's been five days since the accident. You were on the passenger side of the car, so you weren't hurt as badly as you could have been, but Marcus…he…"

"Mom, what is it? Where is Marcus?"

"He…didn't make it. The paramedics tried to save him, but he just couldn't hold on long enough to get to the hospital…" She broke down and cried, but managed to regain her composure. "I'm so sorry, Charlie, but Marcus is gone…"

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke with a start and quickly sat up, angrily scrubbing away the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. _"Damn it girl, all that happened two years ago and crying about it now won't bring him back!" _she bitterly thought, squashing the loneliness that always followed the dreams. _"Marcus is gone, you're still here, and NOTHING will change that!"_

Suddenly, she realized that she was all alone in the little hut. "Wakka?" she called aloud, wondering where the big blitzer could be

Then she smacked herself in the forehead and said, "Duh! He seems like a big religious nut, so he probably went off to the temple with that priest."

Hurrying to the temple, the young woman found Wakka and the priest standing at the bottom of the stairs in the main chamber. Upon seeing the worried look on her friend's face, she asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"The summoner hasn't returned from the trial," he somberly replied. Mistaking Charlie's blank look for unconcern, he then said, "Well, apprentice summoner, really."

"I'm sorry Wakka, but I don't have the faintest clue as to what you're talking about."

"There's a room called the Cloister of Trials, and beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, then the apprentice becomes a full-fledged summoner, remember?"

Charlene didn't know that to begin with, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying so. "So…someone's gone in there and hasn't come back out? How long have they been back there?" she asked.

"A whole day's already gone by," he replied.

"Is it dangerous in there?"

"Sometimes, yes."

Concern showed on the blitzer's face, and for some obscure reason, that really bothered her. "Well, can't you go in and help?"

He shook his head. "There's already guardians in there, and besides, it's forbidden."

Annoyed, Charlie shoved between him and the priest, and ran up the stone steps. "What if the summoner gets hurt, or maybe dies?" she demanded, furious that no one was doing anything to help.

The priest, silent up until now, glared up at her and said, "The precepts must be obeyed!"

"Oh, bite me!" she snapped, running through the door before anyone could try to stop her.

…

Charlene stared at corridor in front of her, and then down at the glowing green sphere in her hand. "Now what?" she wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer.

The lost girl wandered aimlessly through the silent halls of the Cloister of Trials, experimentally moving spheres around until she picked up a sky-blue one. Suddenly, in the depths of her soul, a soft female voice whispered, _::We have been waiting for you.::_

Startled, Charlie jumped and looked around, searching for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" she demanded. "Hey, if this is someone's idea of a sick joke, well I'm not laughing!"

_::Charlie, the road ahead will be difficult and full of sorrow, but you must not give up…::_

Finally, the strange voice vanished, and Charlie was alone in the corridor again. _"Congratulations, Charlene, you've finally lost your mind!" _she sighed, putting the blue sphere into place and finally solving the maze. A round platform lay before her, but before she could step on it, someone grabbed her shoulder, scaring her half to death!

The frightened girl let out a shriek, but then her limited self-defense training kicked in and she grabbed her assailant's arm and pulled with all her strength. Apparently, the attacker wasn't expecting any kind of resistance, because he let out a startled yelp as Charlie continued to pull on the offending limb and flipped him onto the floor. "Holy shit!" she cried, staring at her hands in shock. "I haven't even practiced that move yet, so how in blue hell did I do it?"

Suddenly, a loud groan snapped her out of her reverie. "Hey, what you do that for?" her downed assailant demanded.

It turned out to be Wakka, and he didn't look very happy, but then, Charlie wasn't particularly pleased, either, and she quickly made that known. "Goddamn it, Wakka! You nearly scared the life out of me!"

She helped him up, and the irritated blitzer yelled, "Yeah, well, what's gotten into you, anyway?"

"I told you not to sneak up on me, that my nerves are completely shot from the past couple of days, didn't I? I'm sorry that I knocked you on your ass, and I'm sorry that I came in here without permission, but SOMEONE has to help the summoner, don't they?"

Wakka just stared at her, and she just hung her head and sighed, "Whatever. You know what? I don't even care anymore, so just arrest me or execute me or whatever the hell it is you people do here!"

The two of them stepped onto the platform, which turned out to be an elevator, and he patted her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, it's okay. Your head's just a little messed up, that's all. Anyway, only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition."

Charlie then shot him a sidelong glance as the elevator started its downward descent, and said, "Okay, so what category are you in, huh?"

"Me? I'm a guardian."

"Right. So…what do guardians do, then?"

"Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira, and the guardians protect them," Wakka explained. "The guardians in there now, well…one of them has a short fuse, and who knows what the other is thinking."

The elevator came to a stop, and the blitzer/guardian sighed, "Well, we've come this far, so we might as well go all the way."

Charlie and Wakka walked into the adjacent room, where the other two guardians waited at the bottom of another set of steps. One guardian was a dark haired woman with garnet eyes and a tight-fitting, low-cut black dress with a series of belt buckles strapped across the skirt. The other was a huge beast-man who stood about seven feet tall, with blue fur, intelligent yellow eyes, a broken horn, wild clothes, and a white mane pulled back into a sort of topknot. Both guardians stared at them, and the woman finally said, "What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?"

Wakka flinched and stammered, "No, it's uh…it's just…" Finally, he gave up, and to Charlie, whispered, "See, I told you she gets mad easy!"

Charlene just shook her head and turned to face the woman. "Is the summoner okay?"

The strange woman stared at her, completely surprised, but finally said, "You…who are you?"

Before anyone could say anything else, the door at the top of the stairs opened, and out of it came a young woman. She was short, with short brown hair, a white top, a pair of billowy sleeves, and a blue skirt with a yellow sash. The newcomer staggered out of the doorway, and started to fall down the stairs, but the blue beast-man rushed to her aid and caught her before she hit the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, the girl raised her head and opened her eyes. _"Wow, her eyes are two different colors!" _Charlie mentally noted as the new girl exhaustedly beamed at everyone in the room.

"I've done it…" she whispered as sweat beaded down her face. "I have become a summoner!"

…

A little while later, the new summoner, her guardians, and Charlie left the Cloister of Trials and emerged to the sight of the villagers performing the strange prayer in a kind of salute. The summoner returned the gesture, and everyone left the temple, leaving behind a very confused Charlie. _"Oh, they're all just SO happy to see her now!" _she thought bitterly. _"Well, what the hell would they have done if she died? If they're anything like people back home, they'd have probably just left her corpse in there to rot, or something!"_

Suddenly, she realized what she had almost said, and her face burned with shame. _"That was really uncharitable of me and I shouldn't think things like that!"_

Charlie continued to berate herself under her breath as she walked out of the temple, but then Wakka's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Hey, come over here!" he cried, motioning for her to join the group.

She trotted over, and the big blitzer grinned like a little kid. "Wait until you see this!"

Standing beyond the group was the summoner girl from the temple, and she looked like she was waiting for something. "What am I supposed to be seeing?" Charlie asked, when the summoner showed no signs of moving.

Wakka ignored her, and to the still-unnamed girl, shouted, "Ready!"

The summoner nodded once, and then twirled her blue and gold staff in a series of complicated patterns as a series of glowing sigils appeared around her. Then, in response to the magic, a huge birdlike creature dropped gracefully out of the sky and landed before the one who called it. It, or she, rather, had magenta feathers, a lavender tail and legs, beige wings, and strangely enough, the torso of a human female. The great bird lowered her silvery head and shut her diamond bright eyes in a lazy kind of bliss as her caller gently patted her beak. "What in the world is that?" Charlie gasped, staring in awe as the summoner continued to pet the wondrous creature.

"That is Valefor, the Aeon of the Sky," Wakka explained, chuckling at the surprised expression on her face.

"That's an aeon?"

He nodded and then joined the female guardian and the newborn summoner as she sent Valefor away. Charlie stared at the three of them, and then turned up at the sky and closed her eyes, knowing that the sight of that aeon would probably stay with her for the rest of her days. _"That was absolutely incredible!"_

…

Later that night, while the village was celebrating their apprentice's "graduation", Wakka finally introduced Charlie to the team. He grinned at the Aurochs, and said, "This girl here wanted in on the tournament so bad, I let her on the team. Her memory's a little fuzzy though, so don't mind her if she says anything odd!" Then he nudged her forward. "Go on, Charlie, say hi."

She nervously stared at the Aurochs, expecting them to glare at her, or leer, but their expressions were open and mildly friendly, so she said, "Um…hello."

They all gave her various polite greetings, but continued to watch her as if waiting for something. Unable to come up with anything else, she finally asked, "So, what's our goal?"

An extremely loud chorus of "TO DO OUR BEST!" nearly knocked Charlene off her feet, and Wakka shook his head and said, "Nope, we've got a new goal now. Our new goal is…" Here, he paused for dramatic effect. "Victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team, and to bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?"

His teammates all stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, but they warmed up to the idea soon enough. Before long, the Aurochs were chanting "Victory" at the top of their lungs, and Charlie decided that it was giving her a headache, so she went to go talk to the summoner instead. Unfortunately, the nearby villagers disliked her a lot, and they expressed that dislike quite vocally. "You heathen!" spat an old man.

"Stay away from the summoner!" shrieked an old woman.

"You're a bad lady!" yelled a little girl.

Charlene glared at them, but then the summoner stood up and approached her, while the old man shouted, "Be careful, Lady Yuna!"

"But it was really my fault to begin with," she replied, before turning back to Charlie. "I'm Yuna. Thank you so much for your help earlier."

"I'm Charlie, and I'm really sorry about that. I guess I overreacted."

"No…I was just overconfident."

"Well, I saw you summon your aeon earlier. It was incredible!"

Delight sparkled in Yuna's green and blue eyes as she said, "Really? Do you think that I can become high summoner?"

Charlie nodded, but before she could say anything else, the little girl from earlier ran up and tugged on the summoner's sleeve. "Lady Yuna, come and play with me some more!"

She nodded, but before she left, said, "So…tomorrow, then."

"What?"

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?"

"Uh…yes?"

"We can talk more, and you can tell me about your Zanarkand."

"_My Zanarkand? I never said I was from Zanarkand! Tidus was from Zanarkand, not me!" _However, Yuna left before she could say so, and then Wakka walked up and tapped her on the shoulder. "She's nice, ya?" he asked.

"Yes, she is, but she looks kind of sad," she replied.

"Yuna's got a very important task ahead of her, and she takes it very seriously."

Charlie nodded, and then suppressed a huge yawn. "Look, it's getting late, so is there someplace I can sleep, or am I staying in your house again?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I had a bed made for you over at the Crusader's Lodge, so you can just go over there if you're tired."

Then, trying to be a gentleman, Wakka walked her to the Lodge, pointed out which bed was free, and left her to her own devices. Once alone, Charlie took off her shoes and flopped onto the bed, sighed, and drifted off to sleep.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood in this vast meadow full of flowers in every color of the rainbow. Suddenly, Wakka pranced up on her left, and it was all she could do to keep from falling over, because he was wearing a Winnie the Pooh costume. "Wakka, what are you wearing?" she gasped between gales of laughter.

Instead of answering, Wakka the Pooh chucked a small wooden sailboat at her head and pranced away, singing, "Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me…"

The extremely confused dreamer managed to evade the flying toy, but then some random guy in an awful parody of a Valefor costume ran by, with a young version of Yuna standing on his shoulders, her arms flung out wide. Little Yuna looked the same as the real Yuna, but she was wearing one of those cutesy little angel costumes instead of her summoner outfit. "Wheeee! I'm flying!" she giggled, as "Valefor" sighed dejectedly.

After the "aeon" and Little Yuna disappeared, a black cat and a pink ferret showed up. Charlene stared down at the little animals for a long moment, wondering who they were, when the cat disdainfully flicked its tail and strutted off, while the ferret bounced around like a rubber ball on caffeine, happily chattering away. "So I guess the cat is that lady guardian, and this ferret is Rikku?"

Before she could ask, however, the ferret vanished, but then reappeared in the distance, chasing Yuna and the man in the Valefor costume. When the pink ferret finally caught the "aeon", the three of them disappeared, and Charlie was all alone in the field again. She started walking, figuring that everyone would leave her alone, but now the little boy in purple stood before her. "Sorry, but there are still some things for you to see," he told her before vanishing.

Suddenly, a huge wolf stood where the boy had been, but for some reason, Charlie wasn't afraid. It, no…he, was the size of a Great Dane, and except for some silver streaks, was completely black in color. The wolf only had one eye, but it stared at her inquiringly, as if he were trying to ask her something. The young woman slowly reached out to touch him, but stopped when he started growling and showing all his teeth. She started to back up, but then a strange hissing sound from behind told her that she wasn't what the wolf was growling at.

Charlene turned around to see what the source of the peculiar noise was, and felt her blood run cold at what saw. Coiled up not ten feet away was the largest snake she had ever seen in her life. From what she could tell, it was more than fifty feet long, with scales in a blood-streaked navy blue color, and sky blue spikes running down its spine. The thing that was most disturbing about the snake, however, was its eyes. They were a soulless, icy blue in color, and when they caught her gaze, she felt cold terror turn her blood to ice and freeze her in her tracks. The young woman tried to turn and run, but the giant snake reared up and struck her with lightning speed, its foot long fangs piercing her ribcage…

…_Flash…_

Charlie woke up in a cold sweat, but the dream vanished as soon as she opened her eyes, and the only thing she could remember were the cold eyes and the fear. Suddenly, a pair of voices from outside drowned out the snoring of the person two beds over, and both of them sounded familiar. Tiptoeing to the doorway and peeking through the curtain, she saw Wakka talking to the woman in the black dress. _"Hmm…I wonder what they could be talking about this late at night."_

"I don't know why you even brought it up! She doesn't look a thing like Chappu!" yelled the woman.

"Well, why did you stare at her like that back at the temple, then?" Wakka wanted to know.

"_Hey, they're talking about me!" _Charlie thought, being quiet in order to keep from giving herself away.

"I stared because she wasn't supposed to be in there!" the woman snapped, her crimson eyes flashing with anger. "You shouldn't have brought her here in the first place!"

"But, Lulu…she needed our help!" he protested.

"Excuses again?" she demanded. "That's it, no more! Enough, Wakka!"

With that, Lulu stormed off, leaving the blitzer standing alone. When Charlie saw that he was heading in her direction, she quickly closed the curtain and sat down on the bed. "So…who's Chappu?" she asked when he walked in and sat down.

"My little brother. He kinda looked like you," he told her.

"He's dead?"

"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year, but he didn't make it. I first heard about it on the day of the tournament."

"Hey Wakka, I'm sorry."

"Don't be...it's not your fault. Anyway, I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?"

"You wanted revenge?"

"That was the idea, but now I'm more worried about a stupid game than avenging my brother." Wakka hung his head and sighed. "Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian, full-time. I know that it looks like I'm kinda using you…but I'm not."

Charlie shook her head and smiled. "Hey, I owe you a lot. You've really helped me out, you know. Everyone else would've probably left me on the roadside, or something. Thanks, Wakka."

The blitzer stared at her for one long moment, as a blush slowly worked its way up his face, and he finally looked away, and with a big grin, said, "Hey, stop! You're embarrassing me!"

Then he got up and left, and Charlie lay back on the bed and quickly fell asleep again, all thoughts of the eerie dream gone for the moment.


	6. Boat Ride to Destruction

Chapter 6: Boat Ride to Destruction

The next day, Charlie emerged from the Crusader's Lodge and Wakka and Lulu approached her. The big man had something wrapped in an old cloth in his hands, and he handed it to the still-drowsy girl, and then said, "Hey, Sleepyhead! I got something I want to give you."

Confused, she took the package and carefully opened it. The cloth gone, Charlene found herself holding what had to be the coolest sword she had ever seen. It was fully as long as her red sword, but it felt lighter in weight. The blade was made of sparkling blue crystal with a barb near the end that made it reminiscent of a harpoon's head, and a long red tassel hung off the end of the handle. "Oh wow! Thank you, Wakka!" she exclaimed, peering down at the tiny runes inscribed on one side of the blade. "Brotherhood…is that its name?"

Wakka nodded and said, "Use it well."

"I will."

"That's the sword you gave Chappu," Lulu said flatly.

"Yeah, well he never used it," he replied, not looking at the mage. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he finally asked. "Where's Yuna?"

"Aren't we all taking the same boat?" When the two guardians nodded, Charlie said, "Well, why are we waiting here?"

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started," Wakka told her.

"_That's not an answer!" _she thought, but said, "Huh?"

The blitzer either ignored her, or simply did not hear her, and he continued to speak. "Since then, she's been like a little sister to Lulu and me, but she had the talent and became an apprentice. Now today she leaves as a summoner."

"This is our journey," Lulu said, "We should leave together."

As if summoned by that statement, Yuna emerged from the temple, dragging a heavy suitcase behind her. Lulu shook her head and said, "You really don't need all that luggage."

"They're not really my things," the summoner replied. "They're gifts for the temples we're to visit."

"This isn't a vacation, Yuna," Wakka chided.

"I guess…I guess you're right," she sighed, leaving her luggage behind as she approached the group.

Satisfied that everyone was present, the blitzer grinned and said, "Okay! Off we go!"

The quartet left the village and began their trek down to the beach. Before long, the resident fiends made their presence known and Charlie had the opportunity to try out her new weapon. Mostly, the fiends consisted of groups of raggedy looking wolves, big blue and yellow birds, and blobs of what looked like blue jelly. They weren't much of a threat, but the battles proved to be very educational. After an elemental explanation from Lulu, Charlene was just starting to relax, when yet another monster decided that the group would make a good meal. "What in the name of clown shoes is that ugly thing?" she asked, staring up at the new creature.

It was roughly the size of a school bus, with a tan body, magenta wings, beady eyes, and numerous razor-sharp teeth in its gaping beak. "A Garuda? But those things don't live this far south!" Lulu exclaimed as she cast a Blizzard spell at its head.

"Maybe a storm blew it down here, ya?" Wakka suggested.

"Maybe we should discuss it after we kill it!" Charlie snapped after a blast from its wings knocked her backwards.

Suddenly, Yuna stepped forward, and without a word, she summoned Valefor into battle. The bird aeon dropped from the sky, and immediately tore into the attacking Garuda's throat with her long talons, while the fiend retaliated by trying to tear her wings off with its teeth. As the two birds continued to fight, blood fell from the sky in a crimson rain, but it seemed like there was no end to the battle in sight. Finally, Valefor backed away from the Garuda, and before it could give chase, she fired a burst of energy into the ground below, catching the beast in the accompanying explosion and killing it. As the now-dead bird disintegrated into a cloud of the strange lights, Yuna sent her aeon away, and Charlie asked, "What are those little lights the monsters keep turning into?"

"They're pyreflies," Lulu bluntly replied.

"Oh."

The journey continued without further attacks, but then the group stopped at the cliff overlooking the village and Yuna stared down at it with an obscure kind of sadness in her eyes. "Take your time," Lulu said when she noticed the young summoner's expression.

"I thought we were leaving?" Charlie said, confused at the sudden stop.

"We're gonna wait," Wakka told her.

"All right."

Finally finished with whatever she was doing, Yuna turned and approached them. "Are you ready?" the blitzer asked.

Nodding, the summoner walked away, quickly followed by Lulu. "Did I miss something?" Charlie asked, turning back to Wakka.

"It's an ancient custom," he replied, "People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip. Chappu didn't pray that day…said he'd miss his boat."

Not personally given to praying, she just watched as her friend finished his little ritual before the statue. Finally, he got to his feet and said, "Well, that should do it."

Their prayers finished, the four of them continued their trip to the beach, Charlie trailing behind, lost in thought. _"This is supposed to just be a game, isn't it? Not anymore, I suppose. I still get hungry and thirsty, and I know I can get hurt, so I guess I'd better treat this like real life. Hell, I'm not even sure I CAN go home, so this might be my permanent reality."_

Suddenly, a terrible roar snapped the brooding girl out of her reverie, and she looked up just in time to see the wild blue beast-man drop out of the ruins overhead and land on all fours, separating her from the others! _"Nice kitty…good kitty…DON'T EAT ME, KITTY!" _screamed her mind as she slowly drew the Brotherhood.

The beast-man's snarling intensified as his golden eyes locked with Charlie's blue ones, and his claws dug great furrows into the earth as he clenched his hands (paws?) into fists. After smashing them into the earth with another vicious growl, he stood up, roared again, and then drew a ten-foot spear seemingly from nowhere and attacked her. "Oh damn!" she shrieked, just barely evading an attack that would have squashed her like a fly, had it connected.

Charlene struck at her assailant with her new sword, but he easily avoided her slash and dealt her a blow that bowled her over. Then the leonine creature took to the air in a mighty leap, and came down like the end of the world as he attempted to turn her into a human shish kebab. Luck was with her, however, because she managed to roll out of the way just in time, and then get to her feet and aim a two-handed slash at his head. He easily blocked it with his spear, however, and knocked her to the ground once again. She tried to get up, but found herself facing the business end of his spear as he towered over her, tufted tail swishing back and forth.

"That's enough!" Wakka called, and strangely enough, the beast-man withdrew his weapon and strode off without a word.

Charlie got to her feet and dusted herself off with shaking hands. "Who…what the hell was that?"

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe," Lulu explained. "He's learned the fiends' way of fighting."

"Well, why did he attack me, for god's sake?"

"He's another of Yuna's guardians," Wakka added.

"_What the hell does that have to do with him attacking me?" _she wanted to scream, but then Yuna giggled, "Sometimes we don't understand him, either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway, but he's protected me since I was a child!"

Seeing the affirmative nods of the other two guardians, the irate teen bit down her retort, and instead, asked, "He isn't going to do that all the time, is he?"

The summoner smiled and shook her head, and they finished their walk to the beach in silence. Once there, Charlene noticed that nearly the entire village came out to wish Yuna well, and they all stood on the pier with sad looks on their faces. The party worked their way through the glum throng, boarded the ship, and slowly departed. As they did so, several well-wishers burst into tears, and Yuna made prayer gestures at them. "Goodbye," she whispered softly as she made one last bow.

…

Sometime later, after the S.S. Liki made its way into the open waters between Besaid Island and their next destination, Charlie found Wakka and Lulu watching a small crowd that had gathered around Yuna. "Come to think of it, I haven't told you where we're going!" the blitzer said when he finally noticed her.

Since that happened to be what she wanted to ask him, the girl just kept her mouth shut and let him speak. "First to Kilika Island, then we change boats and head to Luca," he told her. "'Fore that, though, Yuna's gotta pray at the temple, and I'll be guarding. We'll be praying for the Aurochs' victory, so you come along, too, ya?"

The black mage, silent up until now, let out a disgusted sigh. "Great plan."

"Hey, it is a great plan!" he replied, shooting Charlie a meaningful look.

She had no trouble interpreting that look, and deciding that she wasn't getting involved in any impending arguments, she said, "Hey, don't look at me!"

Leaving the two guardians to their own devices, Charlene went to see Yuna, but the crowd effectively blocked her off. "Word is that summoner's got noble blood!" said one of the crewmembers.

"I heard she's Lord Braska's daughter!" exclaimed another.

"Ya don't say?"

"Lord Braska's…daughter?" Seeing that the crowd wasn't going to part anytime soon, and curious about Yuna's heritage, Charlie walked back to Wakka and asked, "Is Yuna's father famous or something?"

The blitzer nodded. "She's the daughter of High Summoner Braska! You saw his statue at the temple, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"Lord Braska defeated Sin ten years ago, so now Yuna's the heir to a great legacy!"

"Gee, that must be really hard!" Wakka just gave her a look of complete confusion.

"Wakka's…a bit lacking in the imagination department," Lulu said when the blitzer's expression didn't change.

"Thanks Lulu, I'll have to remember that next time," Charlie laughed.

Just then, the crowd dispersed, and as if suddenly reminded, Wakka said, "Hey Charlie, you talk to Yuna yet? She had some questions for you."

She shook her head, but then noticed that the summoner was standing alone at the bow of the ship, so she went to join her. Yuna heard her approach, and stepped to one side to make a space for her. The two girls stood side-by-side in complete silence for a while, but finally, the young summoner decided to speak. "The wind…it's nice."

Charlie nodded in agreement, and then the two of them laughed. "You're from Zanarkand, am I right?" Yuna asked, curiosity shining in her two-colored eyes.

"Did Wakka tell you that?" The young woman made a face. "I don't think he believes me at all."

"But I believe you! I've heard in Zanarkand…there is a great stadium, all lit up even at night! Great blitzball tournaments are held there, and the stands are always full!"

"I was only in Zanarkand for a little while, but from what I saw there, the people did seem to like the game a lot…" Charlie trailed off, and then gave Yuna a look of complete surprise. "Wait…Yuna, how did you know that?"

"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian."

"This Jecht…what did he look like?"

Yuna described him to her, and she felt her eyes grow wide. _"No…frigging…way!" _The Jecht Yuna knew looked the same as the Jecht she saw on the billboards in Zanarkand. "Red bandana and a metal armguard…Yuna, when did you meet Jecht?" Charlie asked, trying to keep her voice level.

"Ten years and three months ago. Why?"

"When I got to Zanarkand, the people there were having a memorial tournament for a blitzball player named Jecht who disappeared ten years ago. I saw a picture of him, and he looked exactly as you described him…but how in the world did he get here?"

"You are here, are you not?" Yuna smiled.

"_If he got here, and he's from Zanarkand, then maybe, if I can find Zanarkand, I can go home again?" _Before Charlene could voice that theory however, the ship shook violently and tilted to one side, and she had to grab Yuna to keep her from falling overboard. "What the hell is going on?"

The ocean around them heaved violently, and as Kimahri rushed to his charge's aid, a huge, dark shape loomed up from the depths of the sea. "Sin!" shouted one of the crewmembers, as everyone else on deck went into a state of panic.

The gigantic monstrosity that was Sin swam by languidly, as the onlookers shifted from panic to sheer awe. At the same time, the crewmember that sounded the alarm rushed to one of the harpoon guns and took careful aim at the massive fin as one of his comrades took command of the other one. "What do you think you're doing?" Wakka shouted, "Stick a harpoon in him and we'll all get dragged under!"

"Sin is going for Kilika!" cried the first crewmember, his face full of anguish. "Our families are in Kilika, so we gotta distract it! Please forgive us, Lady Summoner!"

Yuna nodded gravely, and Wakka said, "Oh, boy…"

The men at the harpoon guns fired, and the projectiles sailed across the distance, piercing Sin's fin and effectively catching in its flesh. In response, several pods closely resembling the ones from Zanarkand detached themselves from their progenitor and landed on the deck, where they quickly morphed into their winged bug forms. Screeching angrily, the bugs rushed forward to attack anyone they could reach, but Charlie and the three guardians kept them at bay. Unfortunately, every time one fiend fell, another would come to take its place, thus keeping the fight at a stalemate. _"They just keep coming! We have to get rid of the fin, but how?" _Charlene thought, all the while trying to keep the bugs from swarming her under.

Suddenly, an idea came to her, and she shouted, "Wakka, Lulu, let me and Kimahri handle these bastards, while you two attack the fin!"

"Are you sure you can keep those things away from us?" the mage demanded.

"If we don't break free soon, then Sin will end up dragging us under, and then it won't matter, now will it?"

Lulu nodded gravely, and then turned and cast a Thunder spell at the fin. It was probably about as painful as a mosquito bite to the great beast, but it did veer off to one side, and then the other, as Wakka followed up with a strike from his blitzball. Meanwhile, Kimahri and Charlie kept the bugs at bay, using disabling rather than killing strikes, since Sin would only send out more of the little monsters if the present ones died. Whenever one of them seemed to be running out of energy, Yuna would cast a Cure spell from her safe vantage point behind the lines, which was probably the only thing that kept them all going. Finally, the wooden planks anchoring the harpoon guns in place gave way with a resounding crack, and the weapons sailed away as Sin put on an extra burst of speed.

As a departing gesture, Sin slapped its tail near the boat, causing great waves to wash over the deck. When the raging waters finally subsided, everyone on board looked around and assessed their situation. So far, the damages to any property were minimal, and fortunately, the only injuries were bruises caused by the ship throwing her around as it pitched back and forth in the waves. Suddenly, Yuna realized that someone was missing, and she shouted, "Where's Charlie?"

Everyone looked around, and then the horrible truth dawned on them; Charlie had fallen overboard! Without turning a hair, Wakka leaped over the side of the ship, blitzball in hand.

…

When Charlie saw the wall of water coming, she barely had time to take a breath before the deluge smashed into her and dragged her over the railing. After that, everything went dark as the unconscious girl slowly drifted toward the bottom of the deep blue sea. As she sank, untransformed bugs swam by, striking her as they passed. Then, Wakka's blitzball rocketed across the distance, ricocheting off the little fiends before returning to its owner. The blitzer hurriedly swam over to his friend and checked her out. She was pretty beat up, but still alive, so he quickly used a Potion on her, and when she woke up, he pointed toward the surface, and the two of them swam upward.

Suddenly, a pair of dolphins rushed by, squeaking in alarm, as a monstrous jellyfish appeared, accompanied by even more of the bug-scales. _"It just never ends, does it?" _Charlie mentally growled as she dispatched one of the bugs and then swam out of the way of its boss' lashing tentacles.

Meanwhile, Wakka whacked the jellyfish from behind, and for the briefest moment, it looked like a flickering yellow light surrounded his blitzball. _"Was that…lightning?" _she wondered as the huge fiend bellowed in pain.

The beast whipped its tentacles back and forth, as it swam backwards like a squid, and when its two assailants gave chase, it fired off a burst of water in their direction. Then a swarm of scales followed the pulse, and Charlene and Wakka had to kill them in order to reach their main target. Finally, the two of them managed to slaughter the jellyfish, and headed for the surface as it disintegrated into a cloud of pyreflies. They managed to get back to the ship, where Charlie collapsed on the deck, panting with exhaustion. "I'm okay!" she croaked when Yuna gave her a worried look.

Suddenly, they all heard the sound of splintering wood combined with a gale-force wind and screams of terror, and looked up as Sin sucked up everything in Kilika not nailed down or already wiped out by the preceding tsunami. Finally, the unnatural wind and the screams subsided, and the great beast, its task completed, departed for the open ocean and returned to the depths. As everyone stared in silent horror at the devastation Sin had left in its wake, Yuna's face took on a look of grim determination as she said, "I will defeat Sin…I must defeat Sin."

Charlie just stared at the summoner's grave expression, and then closed her eyes against the horrors, listening to the lonely cries of the gulls and the now gentle lapping of the waves. _"Oh God…all those people! How can anyone stand living like this…in constant fear all the time?"_


	7. Sendings and Jungle Warfare

Chapter 7: Sendings and Jungle Warfare

The S.S. Liki arrived in what was left of Kilika Harbor as the late-afternoon sun bathed everything in blood-colored light. Violent and harsh, the sunset was a fitting backdrop for the devastation of the little harbor village, and Charlie was trying her best to keep from weeping at the sight as their ship pulled up to one of the few remaining piers. She turned to the others to see how they were handling seeing such a disaster, and was surprised at their mutual expressions. With the exception of the enigmatic Kimahri, all wore looks of grim determination, mixed with a weary kind of sorrow, as if what happened to this island had happened many times over. As they stepped onto the dock, Charlie could not help but think, _"They've seen this before…so many times that it doesn't affect them that much anymore. They'll help in any way they can, but in the depths of their souls, they'll be thinking 'Thank God it wasn't my home this time!' How could anyone stand living like this? It's just too horrible!"_

Suddenly, Yuna's solemn voice snapped her out of her dark musings. "Greetings! I am the summoner Yuna, and I have come from the temple in Besaid."

As she performed the prayer gesture, the village headman and his wife approached. "M'lady summoner!" called the old woman.

Yuna seemed to know what the old woman wanted to ask, because she held up a hand and said, "If there is no other summoner here, then please allow me to perform the sending."

"Thanks be to ye!" replied the headman, his face shining with gratitude.

"Our loved ones…we feared they would become fiends!" his wife sobbed.

"Please, take me to them."

"_What the hell is a sending?" _Charlie wondered as Yuna and the two elders walked away, and Wakka stood beside her. "We'll see what we can do to help in town," he told her, before leaving with the Aurochs.

Now alone, the young woman wandered about the remains of the village, until she ran into a crowd standing around a cluster of shrouded bodies floating in the water. Yuna was talking to the village headman, with Kimahri impassively standing behind her. Finally, Charlene spotted Lulu standing in the back of the crowd, so she trotted over and joined her. "So…what's a sending?" she asked.

The black mage stared at her incredulously for a moment, but then sighed, "You truly are clueless…are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?"

"Gee, sorry I asked!" Charlie snapped, all the while biting down the savage retort that burned in her mind. _"Since I'm so incredibly STUPID, I guess I'll just leave the genius all by her lonesome!"_

The angry girl started to storm off, but then Lulu, in a flat voice, said, "The dead need guidance."

Charlie stopped and turned around. "Are you talking to me?"

The mage's wine-colored gaze turned to her, and she asked, "You asked me a question, did you not?" When Charlie nodded, she continued to speak. "Filled with grief over their own death, the dead refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living, and in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace."

"The summoners do this?"

Lulu nodded, and turned her attention back to her charge. Yuna, now barefooted, did the prayer again, before picking up her staff and walking out onto the water as if it were a floor. _"Holy shit, it's a female Jesus!" _Charlie breathed, her eyes as round as dinner plates at what she was seeing.

Once Yuna reached the center of the shrouded forms of the dead, she twirled her staff around and began to dance. The young summoner spun about with the grace of a ballerina, her staff whirling all the while, and then pyreflies swarmed up out of the corpses to join her! The little opalescent lights spun and pulsed in time to Yuna's dance, emitting an eerie hum that, to Charlie, sounded a lot like whale-song. Suddenly, all the braziers in the vicinity flared in unison, and the flames became a ghostly blue color as a geyser of water lifted the still-dancing summoner into the air. Many of the people on the pier burst into uncontrollable tears as Yuna finished her dance and the pyreflies vanished. Finally, she stepped back onto the dock, and Charlene, still awestruck, said, "It must be really hard for her."

"Yuna chose her own path," Lulu replied, sedately walking away. "She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way, until the end."

"What's the end?"

Suddenly, the young woman was aware that everyone was staring at her, and then the black mage let out another disgusted sigh. "Until she defeats Sin."

Yuna ran up to Lulu, the tracks of tears still evident on her face, and said, "I hope…I hope I did okay."

In a surprising display of affection, the female guardian hugged her charge. "You did very well! They've reached the Farplane by now, but…no more tears next time, hm?"

As the crowd dissipated and darkness fell, Charlie stood on the pier, with only her disturbed thoughts for company. _"The Farplane…it must be Spira's equivalent of the afterlife. I'm not from Spira, though, so if I died, then would Yuna be able to send me, or would I be trapped here forever, roaming the world in the form of a mindless monster? Wait, what am I thinking? I'm NOT going to die here! I'm going to find out how to get the hell back to my own world, where the only monsters I have to worry about are the human ones…not that it's much better."_

…

The next day, Charlie emerged from her room at the inn and looked around, wondering where the others could be. "Hmm…I guess they're all outside."

Heading out the door, the young woman promptly ran into Datto, one of the Aurochs. "You awake?" he asked, curiously staring at her.

"_Nope, I'm sleepwalking and came out here for a stroll! Idiot." _Charlene fought down the urge to scream in frustration. "Yeah, I'm up now."

"Cap'n Wakka's waitin' for you!" he said before running off continue helping rebuild the village.

Alone again, Charlie wandered through the village, looking for the others, when she ran into one of the men from the Liki. He looked like he was completely lost, and when he finally noticed her staring at him, he said, "I don't know if it's the toxin, but I can't remember anything, like my name, or my house… I thought that someone might notice me and help me out if I walked around, but no one's paying any attention. I guess everyone has their own problems to worry about."

Feeling sorry for the poor man, Charlie kindly pointed him in the direction of one of the few remaining houses, and said, "I think they're treating people with toxin sickness in there."

"Oh…thank you," the afflicted stranger vaguely replied.

After he wandered off again, Charlene continued her search for Wakka, and finally found him overseeing the rest of the Aurochs as they worked on repairing one of the piers. "Ah, there you are!" he said, before turning to the rest of the team. "Besaid Aurochs! Huddle!"

All of them rushed over, and their captain said, "On to the temple, where we pray for victory!"

As they ran off, he turned to Charlie and saw the confused look on her face. "High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika Temple here," he told her. "Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?"

The two of them started walking, and after a period of silence, she asked, "Wakka…praying for victory is great and all…but is really okay?"

"Something wrong with enjoying blitzball?"

"Well…this isn't really a good time, is it?"

"This is the only time!" he exclaimed, his voice full of passion. "The players fight with all their strength; the fans cheer for their favorite team. They forget pain, suffering…only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long, least that's what I think."

"Okay." Charlie wasn't sure what to say.

Wakka smiled at her. "Let's play…and win! Right?"

"Right, Chief!" she saluted him impishly.

The blitzer's grin widened, and then he pointed at the dense jungle before them. "Temple's beyond the jungle there, so let's go!"

…

Charlie and Wakka arrived in the jungle a few minutes later, and Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri were standing a few feet away from a nearby Life Spring, out in the middle of the path. The mage and the summoner wore odd expressions, while the Ronso looked ominous, as usual. The blitzer saw the troubled look on the female guardian's face, and said, "What's up?"

Lulu walked up to Charlie, her garnet eyes cool. "Yuna's saying she wants you with us."

Wakka whipped around to stare incredulously at the young summoner. "Huh?"

Yuna turned her two-colored gaze to her new companion. "I want to ask you to be my guardian."

Suddenly, it seemed like the entire universe just stopped in its tracks. _"What? Me, a guardian? She must be out of her goddamned mind! Everyone in Spira must be stark raving mad!" _Before Charlie could say anything, however, time started again, and Wakka practically shrieked, "Yuna! What? This is no time for jokes, ya? She may be pretty good with a blitzball, but up against fiends, she's still a newbie."

She turned back to the blitzer, and said, "Not a guardian, then…I just want her nearby. I feel that we need to stay close to her, but I'm not sure why."

Charlie gave Yuna a strange look, not really knowing what to think. "What are you talking about?"

"It's just that, well…"

"We're all going to the temple anyway," Lulu interrupted as she strode by. "Can't this wait till later?"

Yuna nodded, and then turned back to Charlie and bowed. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I shouldn't have…"

"You don't have to do that. I'm just really confused right now."

"My apologies."

Then Kimahri walked up, silent as always, and pointed in the direction of the temple, effectively ending the discussion. They pushed their way through the dense jungle cautiously, fighting various fiends along the way, but they finally emerged on a rickety old bridge. Looming at the other end of it was a giant flower with bright red petals and a pair of long, clawed vines that gently waved back and forth in the air. "What is that?" Charlie asked Wakka.

Before the blitzer could answer, Gatta rushed toward them and said, "Company, halt!"

Luzzu then walked up and pointed at the big flower, and said, "The fiend before us is Ochu, Lord of the Wood! We've had trouble with this one before. Remember, discretion is the better part of valor."

The two Crusaders, their warning finished, stepped to one side as the group decided what to do next. "I suppose we could just take the long way around," Wakka suggested.

"Wouldn't that make the trip five times longer, though?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Why don't we let Yuna decide," Lulu said, turning to the silent summoner.

Yuna stared uneasily at the Ochu for a long moment, but finally decided, "We will fight."

"Yeah!" Charlie cried, striking a warlike pose. "It's just a big flower, so how hard could it be?"

…

"_Me and my big friggin' mouth!" _the young woman mentally growled a little while later, hissing with pain as the green fires of poison lanced through her once again. She had been careless during their fight with the Ochu, and now there was a long gash on her back, oozing venom throughout her system. Another pulse of pain surged through Charlene, driving her to her knees, and she tried to bite back a shriek, but it still escaped in the form of a whimper and interrupted the others as they conversed with Luzzu and Gatta about the fight.

"Hey, you okay?" Wakka inquired, rushing over to check on her.

Charlie made a rather unflattering comment as she tried to get up, but suddenly, Luzzu stopped her. "Don't try to move," he commanded. "Ochu poison is a sure way to get to the Farplane, fast, and you'll only make it worse if you move."

"_Idiot!" _she berated herself. _"It figures that you would go off and pull some stupid stunt that shows everyone how useless you are!"_

Just then, a pale, multihued light welled up around her, and the burning sensation of the poison subsided. Confused, the young woman got to her feet and turned to stare at Yuna. "What did you just do?"

"Esuna," the Lulu explained as the summoner blushed embarrassedly. "It's not a powerful spell, but it's useful against poison and other negative effects, if you treat them quickly enough."

"Oh." Charlie's face burned with shame, and she said, "I'm sorry I caused trouble for everyone."

"No, it's okay!" Yuna reassured her. "If you hadn't pushed me out of the way, it would have gotten me, instead."

"Sir, we should fight, too!" Gatta exclaimed.

"We'll get our chance soon enough," Luzzu told him.

Then, then the two Crusaders walked away, the younger one singing a battle song as they left. "We should get going, ya?" Wakka said, looking up at the sky. "We don't wanna have to come back through here after nightfall."

The rest of their journey through the woods was full of subdued silence, since Charlie was still embarrassed about her run-in with the Ochu. _"Why did I do such a crazy thing back there?" _she wondered, while warily eyeing the jungle around her. _"I could've gotten myself killed doing that!"_

"_You did it because you like these people," _whispered a niggling little voice in the back of her head. _"You want to be friends with these people, you just won't admit it!"_

"_SHUT UP!" _she hissed back, _"Yeah, I like these people, but I can't be friends with them…they'll just get hurt in the end."_

Suddenly, the little voice fell silent, and Charlie realized that they had stopped at the base of a large series of stone stairs. The Aurochs started stretching, and Wakka pointed at the steps. "These stone steps have a history, you know?" he said.

Charlene didn't know, but she didn't say anything, so the blitzer continued to speak. "Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak."

Then, the rest of the team chuckled, and Charlie turned to look at them. "You guys want to race?"

The Aurochs nodded in unison and quickly formed a line. The young woman took her place at the end of it, and Wakka said, "Yuna, if you would."

The summoner hurried to one side of the stairs and raised her hands, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Ready?"

Then, without another word, Yuna turned and rushed up the stairs with a giggle. The Aurochs looked surprised for a moment, but then took off after her, with their coach not far behind them, yelling, "Hey! Hey!"

Charlene started to follow them, but stopped when she heard a loud roar from above. Then the Aurochs, minus Wakka, ran back down the stairs, their eyes full of fear. "L-look out!" one of them cried as he rushed past.

Wakka appeared at the top of the stairs, blitzball in hand, and shouted, "Everyone, quick! Sinspawn!"

Before Charlie could stop to wonder what a "Sinspawn" was, Lulu and Kimahri surged past, and she ran to catch up. The three of them reached the top of the stairs, when the floor near the next set of stairs erupted, and a huge, grayish-brown dome emerged from the hole in the pavement. Then, a pair of green, hand-like tentacles grew out of the floor behind the group, effectively cutting off their only means of escape. "This is just great!" Charlie complained as she drew her sword.

The young woman whacked the dome with a clumsy overhand strike, but her blade just bounced off the peculiar creature as if it were made of rubber. "What the…hey, my sword didn't work!" she yelled.

Then, in retaliation, one of the tentacles wrapped around Charlie's ankle and lifted her high into the air, waving her about like a rag doll! The ride was making her dizzy, but she managed to hack off one of the "fingers", and the tentacle dropped her, but not before spraying dark green fluid all over her. "Oh God, that is just SO gross!" she groaned.

Meanwhile, Wakka and Kimahri battled the other tentacle as it tried to snake past them and grab Yuna. "Take that!" the blitzer yelled, smashing another "finger" with the blitzball, while the Ronso stabbed the base of it with his spear.

At the same time, Lulu cast various black spells at the dome, but they were no more effective than the weapons the rest of the group used, so she then turned around and assisted Charlie, who chopped away at her own tentacle as if it were a tree. Finally, another loud roar came from the dome as the injured appendages withdrew into the ground. Suddenly, the weird monstrosity opened up, and a hideous sight greeted the gang. It looked like a cross between a bug and a plant, with bulbous eyes, an insect-like mouth, and another pair of vine-like tentacles, which it waved around as it roared at its would-be slayers. "Damn, that thing's ugly!" Charlie yelled.

Just then, the revolting Sinspawn spat a huge glob of yellowish goo at Wakka, but he managed to evade the disgusting projectile. It struck the pavement with a nasty splat, and then hissed as it slowly ate its way through the stone. "Don't let any of that touch you!" Lulu warned everybody. "It's like acid, and it will burn you if it gets on you!"

The ugly creature's eyes glowed blue as it waved its tentacles in the air, and a huge wave of water erupted from nowhere, swamping the party and knocking them to the ground. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, it reached out, grabbed Yuna around the waist, and then tried to eat her! The summoner still had her staff in her hands, however, and she jabbed the undecorated end of it directly into the fiend's left eye. It let out a terrible, ear-piercing scream as it dropped its prey, and lashed about wildly in pain. Kimahri, without missing a beat, rushed forward and plunged his spear into the monster's throat, and then began jerking it left and right, widening the wound and spraying more green "blood" everywhere.

Finally, the creature let out one last scream and died as the Ronso backed away, and then it dissolved into a huge cloud of pyreflies, leaving behind nothing but green bloodstains and ruined pavement. Charlie leaned forward, hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath as the Aurochs returned to the scene. "Jesus friggin' Christ!" she swore between pants.

"Sorry about that!" Wakka laughed. "I hoped to break you in a little slower."

"Being a guardian's tiring!"

"Hey, you handled yourself pretty well. You got talent."

"Yeah right, that's why I got thrown all over the place!" she scoffed. "Anyway, what the hell are these 'Sinspawn' thingies?"

"Fiends," Lulu replied, going into "teacher mode". "They fall from Sin's body, and are left behind in its wake."

"Leave 'em alone and Sin comes back for 'em, so you gotta be quick!" Wakka added as they walked up the stairs. Then, as if remembering something, he stopped walking and asked, "So, Charlie…uh…they got fiends in Zanarkand, too?"

The memories of Auron, the bug-scales, and the giant blue tentacle flashed through her mind. "Yes, they do," she quietly replied.

The rest of the group stopped, and Charlie turned around to stare at her companion. "Wait a minute! Since when have you believed me about Zanarkand?" she demanded.

The blitzer didn't look at her. "I been thinking…maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time…like a thousand years through time, and then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"

"Or maybe, Sin just tosses them off someplace where they don't belong." Charlene opened her mouth to speak, but then Lulu made a disgusted sigh and interrupted her. "Amazing, simply amazing," the mage said, her crimson eyes flashing furiously at Wakka. "You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth: Sin didn't TAKE Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back, Wakka."

She stormed off, but then stopped when she was halfway up the stairs, and said, "Oh, and one more thing: no matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter, and there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about it…and sad."

Lulu stalked away, and Yuna and Kimahri followed her, leaving Charlie and Wakka alone. The blitzer sat silently on the steps for one long moment, while the young woman tried to figure out what to say to him. Suddenly, he punched the ground beside him, and sorrowfully said, "I…I could never be what Chappu was."

"Wakka…I…" Charlie started to say, but stopped when he got up.

"Well, stuff happens," he said, walking away. "Best not to worry."

The young woman watched him leave, but finally fell into step behind him, with only her own thoughts for company. _"Poor Wakka! Does he always catch that much hell from Lulu? I know it's none of my business, but he doesn't deserve that…not really." _Then she smacked herself in the forehead, and sighed. _"Damn it, Charlie, don't let yourself get too involved with these people! You don't want them to end up like Marcus, do you? Maybe…it'd just be better if I were alone…"_


	8. Fiery Tempers

Chapter 8: Fiery Tempers

Kilika Temple looked similar to its counterpart in Besaid, though its element was obviously Fire. Bright orange flames flickered everywhere as the group took their first look around the courtyard, making it seem like daylight, despite the fact that night had obviously fallen. As they stared, a young-looking priest stepped out of one of the side doors and said, "You are a summoner's party, are you not?"

"Yes. My name is Yuna, and my guardians and I have come from the temple in Besaid," the young summoner replied with a respectful bow.

"I…see." The priest winced slightly as he studied the party. Everyone had multiple scrapes and bumps from various injuries, and strangely colored stains from the blood of the Sinspawn they had just recently battled. "Well, you're welcome to clean yourselves up and rest for the evening, if you'd like."

Yuna looked around at her disheveled and weary guardians for a moment, and said, "Yes, we'd really appreciate that."

…

Feeling refreshed after a cleanup and a decent night's sleep, during which Charlie had a nice dream of throwing a brick at Auron, the group returned to the now sun-drenched courtyard and met up with the Aurochs, and then headed for the large door leading into the temple. Suddenly, the door opened and three men in blue uniforms stepped out. The leader, a redhead with an oh-so superior expression approached Wakka, who asked, "You here to pray for victory, too?"

"Us? Pray?" the stranger smirked. "Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"

"Oh yeah? Then why are you here?"

"We've been praying for some competition this year!" said the blond Goer that stood on "Red's" left.

"So what's your goal this time? You gonna 'do your best' again?" taunted the redhead.

"Ha!" scoffed the black man on the right. "Too bad your best isn't good enough! Why even bother showing up?"

"_You miserable bastards!" _Angry, Charlie pushed her way to the front of the group and stood nose-to-nose with the redheaded jackass. "I hate to disappoint you, fellows, but this time, we play to win!"

"Red" looked surprised for a brief moment, probably because a girl just told him off, but he quickly recovered and sneered, "Ooh! Play away! Just remember even kids can play."

"See you at the finals!" Wakka called, as "Red" and his two cronies strolled away.

The confrontation over, everyone, save Charlene and Yuna walked into the temple. The two girls stood outside the door and watched the three jerks vanish in the distance, and Charlie said, "We'll beat those losers! We have to!"

"You know that team?" Yuna was curious.

"I hate people like that!" the disgruntled girl exclaimed. "They try to hide their own insecurities by making other people feel lower than dirt! Rotten bastards."

Yuna, not really knowing what to say, just gave her one of those "cheer up" smiles as the two of them joined their companions in the temple. The interior looked exactly like the temple in Besaid, and Lulu and Kimahri stood off to one side of the stairs, while Wakka knelt before one of the four great statues. "Lord Ohalland, guide our feet," he intoned while repeating the prayer gesture.

The four of them watched the blitzer for a while, but then turned around when the door to the Cloister opened. A dark skinned woman in a rather revealing outfit stepped out, immediately followed by a brawny man whose neck was bigger than his head. The dark woman gave Yuna a snide look, and said, "A summoner, are you?"

"My name is Yuna…from the Isle of Besaid," the young summoner politely replied.

"Dona," The older summoner answered as she strutted down the stairs. "So, you're High Summoner Braska's daughter…that's quite a name to look up to." Then, she peered over Yuna's shoulder at her guardians, and gave a disgusted sigh. "My, my, my… and all these people are your guardians? My, what a rabble. As I recall, Lord Braska had only two guardians."

Already in a bad mood from her run-in with the Goers, Charlie barely managed to stop herself from punching Dona on the nose. The rude summoner's next comment, however, really pushed the limits. "Quality over quantity, my dear, whatever were you thinking?" she asked with a shake of her head. "I have need of only one guardian." She looked over at her overly large protector. "Right, Barthello?"

Barthello nodded stupidly and struck a pose as Kimahri drew close and sized him up. _"Fifty bucks says that man has the I.Q. of a head of lettuce," _Charlie thought as "Muscle-Head" stared back at the Ronso, his eyes frighteningly devoid of intelligent thought. _"Another fifty says that man manages to lose Donut, or whatever her name is, halfway through their trip!"_

Just then, Yuna stepped forward and said, "I only have as many guardians as people I can trust. I trust them all with my life, and to have so many guardians is a joy and an honor…even more so than being my father's daughter."

"_You tell her, Yuna!" _Charlie silently cheered.

"Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either," she continued, when she saw the sour look on Dona's face. "So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace."

The older summoner glared at Yuna, but finally said, "You do what you want." With that, she turned to her guardian and barked, "Barthello, we're leaving."

The two of them ran out of the temple while the party watched, and Charlie growled, "What a bitch!"

Yuna sighed, shook her head, and then headed for the Cloister of Trials, her guardians trailing along behind her. At the end of a long corridor lay an elevator with a large symbol engraved on it, and Wakka hurried onto it, turned around, and said, "The fayth is below, so let's do it!"

"Wait, what's the fayth?" Charlie wanted to know.

No one answered her, however, and Lulu said, "But first, we go through the Cloister of Trials. Kimahri, Wakka…ready?"

"Strength, everyone!" Yuna intoned while performing the prayer.

Then, the group, except for Charlie, joined Wakka on the elevator, and Yuna turned around and said, "We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?"

"That's fine. I'll just go wait in the temple since I'm not a guardian or anything," the young woman replied.

After the elevator descended, Charlene turned to leave the corridor, but stopped when she ran into something solid. "Where's Yuna?" demanded an all-too familiar voice.

"_Oh great! Donut and Brain-Dead are back! Can this day get any worse?" _She silently pointed at the elevator and tried to brush past, but Barthello stopped her. "Well, if she's down there, then why are you here?" Dona rudely asked.

"I'm not a guardian, so I'm not supposed to go down there," Charlie replied, just as rudely. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go wait in the temple."

Barthello stopped her again, however, and his summoner's expression grew sly. "Not a guardian, you say?"

Dona nodded at her burly guardian, and he started to reach for Charlene, but the girl quickly backed away onto the platform and took on a fighter's stance. "I wouldn't recommend coming any closer if I were you," she threatened, her voice slightly shaky. Then, she noticed that the summoner stood near the switch to activate the elevator, a wicked grin plastered across her dusky features. "Hey, what the hell are you up to?" she demanded.

"Oh, it's just a little game," the bitch sweetly replied as she threw the switch.

Suddenly, the elevator came to shuddering life and began its slow descent into the darkness. "HEEEEY!" Charlie shouted in dismay, but it was too late.

"Give my regards to Yuna!" Dona's laughter echoed through the elevator shaft, and then faded into the shadows.

Finally, the elevator came to an abrupt halt on a long walkway that led to a massive pair of doors. Charlene, after unsuccessfully attempting to get the elevator to move again, trudged over to them, but didn't open them. _"This is definitely a bad idea, but since the elevator won't work, I guess I have no other choice!"_

…

The Cloister of Trials in Kilika Temple was like a suburb of Hell. The walls of fire added to the sticky heat of the jungle, making it hotter than any room had a right to be, and the strange flaming spheres didn't help matters, either. Charlie eyed one of the blazing scarlet orbs carefully before gingerly lifting it out of its resting place. It didn't burn her, but a strange heat flowed from it into her body. _::So, you've finally arrived, have you?:: asked a light male voice._

"What the…oh God, not this again!"

The voice chuckled. _::There is much fire within you, Charlie. Do not let it burn you, but do not be afraid to share its warmth with others, either…::_

"Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about," the young woman muttered when the voice finally faded.

Charlie wandered through the temple, praying under her breath that no more voices would pop up, but eventually made it to the end, where a flight of stairs lay before her. She headed up the stairs and into the next room, where Lulu, Kimahri, and Wakka all turned around to stare at her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the blitzer exclaimed, running up to her. "You're not supposed to be down here!"

"It was Donut and her big goon!" Charlie explained.

"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" Lulu hissed.

"Wait, what consequences? It wasn't her fault!"

"It don't matter," Wakka replied with a shake of his head. "Yuna could be excommunicated for this!"

"_See? You really ARE nothing but trouble…" _Before that annoying voice of doubt could say anything else, however, Charlie shoved it away and concentrated on listening to the song echoing throughout the room. It was the same one she'd heard in Besaid Temple, only this time, the singer was a man. The lyrics were in a foreign language, but were still oddly comforting, and she wondered why she didn't take the time to listen to them before.

_Ieyui  
Nobomenu  
Renmiri  
Yojuyogo  
Hasatekanae  
Kutamae_

After a few minutes, Charlene pulled her attention away from the song, and walked over to Wakka. "Just wait," the blitzer said when she showed signs of impatience.

The girl turned her attention toward the door on the far side of the room. The singing seemed to be coming from behind it. "Hey Wakka, what's inside that door, anyway?" she asked.

"The fayth, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" She waited in silence a moment longer, and then asked, "What's a fayth, anyway?"

"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin," Lulu explained, her expression neutral. "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies."

Charlie blinked in astonishment. "What?"

The mage ignored her amazement, and continued to speak. "Now they live forever, trapped inside statues, but when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."

Charlie's eyes widened even more, and she turned to Wakka and asked, "So, what does Yuna do while she's in there?"

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Still confused, the young woman stared at the door a while longer, wondering what the fayth might look like. Lulu apparently noticed her curious expression, and glared at her. "The chamber beyond is a sacred place. Only summoners may enter."

"What, so none of you are allowed to go in, either?"

"It's taboo!" Wakka vehemently replied.

After that, the group waited in silence, and Charlie found herself lost in thought yet again. _"Jeez! Everything around here is taboo, or forbidden, or against the precepts! They've got so many rules here that they can't even scratch their damn noses without permission!"_

Suddenly, the door opened, and Yuna staggered out, looking as exhausted as she had when she first emerged from the chamber in Besaid. The summoner dropped to her knees, and all three of her guardians quickly rushed to her aid. Charlie would have helped, but she knew that her assistance wasn't required, so she just stood and watched. _"Wow, they all practically mother hen the poor girl! Is this trip really that dangerous?"_

A few minutes later, the five of them reemerged in the courtyard, where all the priests and townspeople started cheering wildly and repeating the prayer. Then, as if summoned, a memory of a dear friend rose to the surface.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood with Marcus in the parking lot of the soccer field after practice. "You did a good job out there today," she told him. "You guys are gonna cream the Devils at the game next Friday!"

He pushed his auburn bangs out of his face and said, "I should hope so! God knows Coach Ryan is about to give himself a heart-attack over it!" He stopped, and almost shyly asked, "Hey, did you want me to give you a lift home?"

She shook her head. "Nah, it's not that far from here." Then she made a face. "Besides, it looks like your fan club is waiting for you, anyway."

Charlie, who didn't really like crowds, managed to step back just in time to avoid the gaggle of squealing girls that swarmed over poor Marcus like piranha on a side of beef. "Hey, I'll see you tomorrow, all right?" she shouted, hoping that he would hear her over screams of "You're so great!" and "Can I sit next to you in class tomorrow?"

…_Flash…_

"_Damn idiots!" _she thought bitterly as she tried to shake off her memory. _"They wouldn't have anything to do with him if he wasn't the star of the soccer team… Just like how these people wouldn't give Yuna a second glance if she weren't a summoner! If this is the bullshit famous people have to put up with, then I'd rather go be a hermit! Man, I just want to go home already!"_

Finally, the crowd dispersed, and the group headed back for the village so they could catch a boat to Luca, their next destination. Suddenly, Charlene stopped and gritted her teeth in an attempt to restrain the frustration that threatened to overwhelm her. _"Damn it all! Why did they have to drag me here? Couldn't Auron and that little purple kid have picked someone else?"_

Just then, a voice broke through her angry musings. "Are…are you okay?"

It was Yuna, and she had a slightly worried expression on her face. "No, not really," Charlie replied, trying her best to keep her voice level.

"Well…what do you want to do?"

"Honestly?" When the summoner nodded, the irate girl answered, "In all truth, I'd just like to scream my head off right about now!"

Yuna just stared at her for a moment, and then giggled. _"Aw, what the hell… These people already think I'm nuts so it won't really matter what I do." _Charlie then tilted her head back, and at the top of her lungs, shouted, "THIS…REALLY…SUCKS!"

Kimahri, Wakka, and Lulu all whipped around to stare at the shouting girl as if she had lost her mind, but none of them actually said anything. Once she finished venting, Charlene sighed and said, "Wow, now I feel better. I'll have to do that more often."


	9. Starlit Ride

Chapter 9: Starlit Ride

"The matches start as soon as we get there, so rest up along the way, ya?" Those were Wakka's words to Charlene as they boarded the S.S. Winno and departed from Kilika Harbor and headed for Luca. She nodded and went below deck, and after finding a dark corner to sit in, quickly fell asleep.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood on a small strip of beach below a cliff comprised of huge, dagger-sharp, black rocks. The silence was deafening as she got to her feet and surveyed her surroundings with confusion. That bewilderment, however, quickly changed to horror as the gruesome reality of her environment finally registered in her mind. "Oh…my…GOD!" she shrieked, fighting to keep her stomach from rebelling at the sight of the carnage around her.

Corpses and bits of corpses littered the sparkling sand in all directions as far as the eye could see, all the way down to the waterline. Shattered weapons and pieces of the nearby cliffs lay everywhere else, and in between it all, bright slashes of blood streaked the ivory shore with crimson stripes. Hovering above it all was an innumerable amount of pyreflies, wheeling and pulsing to the time of a song only heard by themselves as they drifted aimlessly above the bodies that, until recently, had been their living forms. Charlie stumbled toward the water, half-blinded by the tears that threatened to unleash wracking sobs, not knowing what she was doing, only that she desperately wanted to leave._ "What in bloody flaming hell happened here? This is a total massacre! I have to get out! Where's the friggin' exit to this place?"_

Her thoughts became more panicked and incoherent as her search became more frantic, but just as she reached the breaking point, a very familiar figure appeared. "You have to see what's coming," said the mysterious boy in purple. "I'm sorry Charlie, but you have to see this through to the end."

"Get bent, you psycho-midget!" the furious girl screamed as she clenched her hands into fists. "I don't know what your deal is, but you need to keep your damn horror movie visions to yourself! You've screwed up my reality enough as it is, so I don't need you fooling around with my dreams, too!"

Suddenly, without a word, the little boy vanished, and a huge shadow loomed over her. Charlene did not know what it was, but its source was the sea, so she slowly turned around, and then nearly dropped with fright. Sin floated there, all of its many eyes trained on her, staring intently. She reflexively cringed, waiting for the blow that would crush her like a bug, but that blow never came. Instead, the great beast turned away from the massacre it had created and headed back out to the depths of the ocean. The young woman, limp with relief dropped to her knees and shook with hysterical laughter. _"Oh God, I thought I was done for!" _she chuckled, shaking her head_. "How unsurprising…I've faced death pretty much ever since I arrived in Spira, so now it's coming to harass me in my dreams, too!"_

Finally, she got to her feet, and walked toward the cliffs, all the while hoping that the way out would be over there. Charlie had only managed to walk a few feet, however, when the sounds of unfamiliar laughter rang out across the shore. The sound of it was cold, cruel, and not quite sane, and it chilled her soul as she looked around for the source of it. The ghastly sound renewed itself, this time even closer than before, and then the huge blue serpent from her nightmare in Besaid appeared before her. The young woman stepped back in horror as the giant snake hissed its soulless laughter once again, clearly reveling in the destruction and death that permeated the lonely shore. "You…what the hell are you?" she quavered, trying to sound brave despite the fact that she'd rather face Sin again than have to deal with the current situation.

The serpent stopped its maniacal cackling all at once, and fixed Charlie an icy stare. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't, which only increased her terror as the huge creature drew close. "What I am isn't important," it...he...hissed. "It's what I will bring to the world that matters, my dear."

The fearful girl didn't really want to know what his purpose was, but her foolish mouth betrayed her. "What would that be?"

The snake flicked his forked tongue in an almost negligent gesture, and a dead bird appeared at Charlie's feet. She carefully turned it over, and then realized that it bore a remarkable resemblance to Valefor. "What the hell kind of sick joke is this?" she cried, backing away another step, as the bloodstained waters sloshed around her ankles.

Quick as lightning, the sinister creature rushed forward and wrapped his coils around her in a tender, almost loving embrace, completely cutting off any means of escape. "Why, it's no joke at all, my dear," he purred, tightening his grip on her when she tried to pull herself free. "The price of all pain will be paid in blood, and all shall know the sweet embrace of death that I will bring…even those of your own world."

As he spoke, one atrocity after another flashed before the young woman's eyes, all accompanied by the hideous laughter of the serpent, and finally, her sheer terror overtook her, and she began to scream…

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke all at once, instinctively suppressing the shrieks of pure horror that roiled in her soul, and realized that she was drenched in a cold sweat. _"Holy crap, what the hell was that? Was it a vision of the future, or was there something funny in that food we ate before we left?" _She shook her head and sighed. _"Goddamn it, that was scary!"_

She got to her feet and quickly paced around; trying to shake the fear that still hounded her. _"Maybe I should go tell one of the others about this? No, scratch that. Yuna would worry, Lulu would probably give me one of her rude little homilies, and I'd probably just give poor Wakka nightmares if I told him about this_." Suddenly, she stopped and another, rather amusing thought popped in her head. _"Hmm…I wonder what Kimahri would think of it? Eh, he probably wouldn't say anything, just give me one of his feral death-glares. What about Auron…YEAH RIGHT! He's not here, and anyway, he'd either just copy Kimahri or clonk me over the head with the flat side of that big-ass sword of his. Either that or he'd give me some sanctimonious and hypocritical speech about women having no place in battle until I got pissed off enough to kick him in the junk! Boy, wouldn't that be an interesting way to die?"_

Despite its dark and slightly gruesome theme, the resulting image that appeared in her head sent her into a fit of giggles, which drew the attention of the Aurochs and Abus, one of the three Goers the group had met at Kilika Temple. "Hey Zanarkand, you not freaking out over there, are you?" he jeered.

"Only in your dreams, hot stuff!" Charlie retorted before walking out the door.

As soon as she appeared in the corridor, however, an irritating man in an ill-fitting blue shirt, orange pants, and a black cap accosted her. "Ooh, them's fascinatin' clothes you're wearing!" the stranger said in a Cockney accent, as he looked her up and down. Then he gave her a disgusted look and said, "Ew! Filthy, filthy! These won't sell or me name's not O'aka!"

"_Who said anything about selling my damn clothes?" _the irate girl wondered as O'aka continued to pace around her, staring a little too closely for her comfort and muttering under his breath.

Finally, he stopped, looked her straight in the eye, and rudely pronounced, "Don't look like you got much money, either." The creepy bastard pushed past her, growling, "I've no business with ye, outta me way!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are, mister?" Charlie yelled, now quite angry at the man's offensive behavior.

"O'aka XXIII, merchant extraordinaire!" he announced, puffed up with self-importance.

"Who?" she demanded, inadvertently, but quite neatly, puncturing O'aka's little ego bubble.

"Don't know me?" When the young woman shook her head, he sighed, "Well, not many do, not yet, but someday, the name O'aka will be spoken all over Spira!" Suddenly, his look became slightly smarmy, and he asked, "Say, love, you wouldn't happen to have a bit o' Gil to lend, would ye?"

Charlie gaped at the so-called merchant and his sudden change in attitude for a moment, and then considered her options. _"I really oughtta tell this weirdo to get lost, but I won't really be able to avoid him on this ship if he turns out to be the violent type, and I'd probably just get Yuna in trouble if I pitched him over the side for being too forward." _She looked in one of her belt pouches, and quickly tallied it all up in her head. _"Hmm…I think I've got about three thousand in here, so one hundred shouldn't make too big a dent in my funds…me and my damn feelings of charity."_

Finally, she pulled out the desired amount, pressed it into O'aka's hand, and said, "I tell you what: here's fifty for your little fundraiser, and another fifty providing you promise to never call me 'love' again, okay?"

The merchant grinned. "All right, lass, ye have me word! I'll make it up to ye, that I will!"

The girl nodded, and turned to go above, but stopped when she saw Luzzu and Gatta standing guard in front of the cargo bay. Actually, Gatta was sound asleep on the floor, leaving Luzzu to stand guard alone, but the older man didn't seem to mind. "How much did you give him?" he asked when she walked over.

"Just a hundred Gil, but he was definitely glad to have it," she replied, smiling. Then her smile faded, and she said, "Hey, I never did thank you for the other day. I didn't even know I was poisoned and…"

Luzzu raised a hand, and said, "There's no need to say anything."

Charlie shook her head, "But still…thank you."

The Crusader nodded, and she turned and walked away. Suddenly, he called out, "Hey, I know it might not mean much, but good luck in the tournament."

She smiled again, and then went upstairs, where she found Yuna talking with two of the Goers, while Kimahri kept a silent watch nearby. The young summoner giggled at a remark Bickson had made, and Charlie asked. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

The redheaded captain of the Goers turned around and glared. "Who are you supposed to be?" he demanded

His blond teammate, Graav, stared at her for a moment, but finally snapped his fingers and said, "Ah, I remember her now. She's that girl from Kilika."

"What?" Bickson was confused.

"You know, one of the Besaid Aurochs. She said something about winning the cup."

"Oh, right." He turned to Charlie and sneered, "You're that idiot."

"_Why you stupid son of a bitch!" _Furious, the young woman opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort, when Yuna frowned and said, "Don't call her that!"

"But she IS an idiot!" Bickson replied. "The Aurochs don't got what it takes to win the cup."

"_Okay, probably not, but I can't let that smug bastard get away with this!" _"Well, they do now that I'm here!" Charlie snapped.

"Yes, they will win!" Yuna chimed in. "She used to live in Zanarkand, and everyone there played blitzball all the time!"

"Yeah, right!" Graav laughed, "As if anyone actually lived in those ruins."

"It's not ruins! There's a big city there! There is!"

Suddenly, everyone stared at the summoner as if she had just sprouted an extra head. Charlene chuckled weakly, and said, "I got too close too Sin, and…"

"There is a city, really!" Yuna interrupted, stubbornly glaring at the Goers.

"Right." Bickson grinned. "Whatever your ladyship says."

Finally, the two blitzball players walked away, laughing uproariously, leaving the summoner to fume in silence. Charlie walked up to her cautiously, and asked, "Yuna, are you okay? I've never seen you that angry before."

"They were being rude, and…" Yuna stopped and sighed. "I do believe your Zanarkand exists. I really do, you know!"

"Why?"

"Sir Jecht used to tell me stories about it. I'd really like to see your home someday."

"Yuna…" Charlie sighed, not really knowing what else to say, and then walked away. _"I wonder how Lulu and Wakka are doing."_

A few minutes later, she found them on the upper tier of the ship, engaged in conversation, and from the sounds of it, they were talking about her. "Well? Say something," Lulu urged. "You'll take responsibility?"

"Relax! She's bound to know someone in Luca," Wakka replied, trying to sound reassuring.

"What if she doesn't?" the mage demanded.

"Then she could always join a blitz team," he replied. "Anyhow, it's better than leaving her in Besaid."

"_I'll say!" _Charlene thought, feeling slightly guilty about eavesdropping. _"If they had left me there, the villagers probably would have stoned me for being an 'evil heathen'." _Then she realized that the two guardians were still speaking, so she turned her attention back toward them.

"What, you just want to leave her in Luca?"

"What do you want me to do?" Wakka's tone took on an edge of frustration.

"Yuna wants to make her a guardian," Lulu flatly replied.

"Oh yeah, geez…there's that, too, eh?"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not mine!" After that loud protest, the mage stared at the blitzer, her crimson eyes cool, until he hung his head and murmured, "It is mine, huh?"

"_I really shouldn't be listening in on this, but hey, it's my future they're deciding, so I've got the right!"_

"Why do you think she wants to make Charlie a guardian, anyway?"

"I'm not really sure myself…but Yuna seems to think that she might be connected to Sir Jecht in some way."

"Like his daughter or something?"

"_Hell no!" _Charlie put her hands over her mouth to keep from giving herself away.

"Supposedly, she came from Zanarkand, and Sir Jecht was from there, so it could be possible, but highly unlikely," Lulu said, shaking her head. "That might be what Yuna believes, though."

"Okay…" Wakka doubtfully replied.

"That's all you have to say?" the mage demanded dangerously.

"Charlie's gotta decide for herself, ya? Well, she and Yuna, I guess."

"You're actually right, for once." Lulu sounded astonished. The big blitzer gave her a slightly offended look, but she ignored it and continued to speak. "I wonder which is best…" She stopped and turned back to Wakka. "Why don't you tell her she should?"

"What? Why me?" he sputtered, blushing slightly.

"_Damn, you'd think she just told him to propose to me, the way he's acting?" _Charlene quickly stifled a giggle.

"Because Yuna won't," the mage continued.

"Why not?"

"Yuna likes Charlie, and it would upset her if she asked again and was rejected."

"_Me…Yuna's guardian? God, I like these people, but I don't want them to get hurt because of me! I don't know when, or if, that little brat in purple will let me go home, though, so unless I find a way out of here soon, I'll have to stay with them. Aw, what the hell, Yuna seems like she needs a friend anyway."_

"All right, I'll try talking to her after the tournament," Wakka finally relented.

"Be discreet," Lulu advised.

Charlie finally turned around and left the two guardians in peace, heading toward the bow of the ship. She paced around restlessly, her thoughts a jumble, until she accidentally kicked a blitzball lying on the deck. The unoffending object bounced once, and then rolled to a stop near the mast. Picking it up, yet another memory overtook her…

…_Flash…_

Charlie stared down at the ball in her hands, and then looked up at Marcus, her grin slightly feral. "All right, buster! I may not be the ace soccer player you are, but I bet I can still handle you in basketball!"

"Well, let's see what you've got, then," he replied, his gray eyes dancing as he watched her dribble the ball on the concrete driveway.

Marcus tried to snatch the basketball from her, but she ducked under his right arm and took her shot. Unfortunately, it merely bounced off the rim and he quickly caught it, tossed it again, and missed the goal completely. "Hell, I'm not Michael Jordan anyway," he muttered as the ball rolled to a stop at his feet.

Charlie laughed and said, "Nope, and that's a good thing, 'cause you'd look really funny with no hair!"

He mimed a blow at her before picking up the ball and bouncing it on his knee. "Doesn't that hurt, since it's not a soccer ball?" she asked as he switched knees.

"Nope. I've been doing this for so long that I don't even notice it anymore."

Marcus then proceeded to march around the driveway, bouncing the basketball off his knees, and then finished up by bouncing it off his head and kicking it. The orange sphere shot up the driveway and smacked the garage door with a loud crash, and Charlie's mom quickly poked her head out the front door and groaned at the sight of yet another dent in the door. "Oops! Sorry, Mrs. Brooks!" the young man sheepishly apologized.

She shook her head, but went back inside without saying a word, and Marcus handed the basketball to Charlie, who was laughing hysterically. "Here, you'd better take this away before your mom tears me a new one!"

"Aw, my mom wouldn't do that! She's as sweet and gentle as a…"

"As a rampaging grizzly bear!" he finished with a grin. "You know, you ought to try that, Charlie."

"Me? You're the soccer star! I'm just the antisocial girl that all the other girls love to hate since you and I are such good friends."

He made a face. "God, don't remind me about those leeches! If I have to hear one more simpering dingbat squeal about how cool I am, I swear I'll go nuts! Anyway, aren't you the one who is always telling me to learn new things?"

…_Flash…_

Charlie stared at the blitzball in her hands and sighed, "Well, let's give it a try, shall we?"

The young woman experimentally hefted the ball a couple of times and then bounced it off her left knee. She bounced it a couple of times before switching to her right, and before long, found her rhythm and marched around the deck without dropping it. Finally, the ball flew higher than she intended it to, but she managed to catch it with her head, bouncing it a couple more times, before she realized that Wakka and the Aurochs were staring at her. Then she lost her concentration and the ball ricocheted off her cranium before dropping to the deck to rest where it fell, completely ignored. "That was pretty impressive for someone who's never played before," Wakka complimented. "You learn that in Zanarkand?"

"No, I learned it from a friend back home."

Before the blitzer could say anything else, though, Charlie noticed Yuna standing nearby. The summoner waved at her, so she excused herself and quickly hurried over. "Charlie, was Wakka right?" Yuna asked with a slightly confused look on her face. "You have never played blitzball before?"

"Yeah…" The young woman sighed gustily. "I'm not originally from Zanarkand, you see? I'm from…another city…far, far away, called Greenwood, and we don't have blitzball there…"

Charlie spent the next hour or so telling Yuna about her life before Zanarkand, about her studies, life in a small town, and other things of that nature, but carefully steered away from the fact that her hometown existed on an entirely different planet with no monsters and no Sin. When she was through, Yuna stared at her and said, "Well, there must be a reason that you've come to Spira…you just need to find it, that's all."

"_Yeah, I'm here because some stupid little boy, an evil-looking ronin, and a walking natural disaster felt like screwing up my life! God, I bet my mother is going nuts right now! Who knows how long I've been gone on my world." _The young woman didn't say any of those things, however. Instead, she smiled at her friend, and said, "Yeah, why not? That Jecht guy was brought here for a reason, so maybe I'm here for the same purpose."

"Sir Jecht was one of my father's guardians," Yuna replied. "Do you think that has something to do with why you've come here?"

"I don't know…maybe." Charlene trailed off into thoughtful silence. _"Jecht came here and became a guardian…and if I remember correctly, Tidus was supposed to be his son. Maybe he was supposed do something that his old man didn't…or couldn't? Hell, I don't know, and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do about it!"_

Suddenly, realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, and she looked at Yuna. "You said 'was'…Yuna, where is he now?"

"No one knows. Sir Jecht disappeared after my father defeated Sin, but if anything happened to him, word would get around fast, don't you think?"

"_Damn! So much for my idea of tracking HIM down and finding out if he knows anything! I guess I'm stuck hoping that I can find Auron, since being near Sin wasn't enough to send me back home."_

Just then, a wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she yawned, "Yeah, if your old man's famous, then his guardians should be famous, too, so I guess word WOULD get around if one of them died…" Charlie yawned again, and then said, "I'm sorry, Yuna, but I'm about to pass out on my feet, so I'm gonna go back below now."

The summoner smiled at her, and she headed back to the room, pointedly ignoring whatever it was the two female Goers were doing to Keepa, the Aurochs' goalie. Then she flopped down in her dark corner, shut her eyes, and as she drifted off to sleep, thought, _"Wait! I forgot to ask Yuna who her father's other guardian was! Oh well…I can always ask her in the morning…"_


	10. Creeps and Kidnappers

Chapter 10: Creeps and Kidnappers

The next morning, the S.S. Winno arrived in Luca, which had to be the largest town Charlie had seen since her arrival in Spira. She stared in awe at the massive blitzball arena as the voices of two announcers rang out over the loudspeakers. As the ship pulled into the dock and everyone disembarked, those same two announcers made some rather pitying comments about the Besaid Aurochs. _"Twenty-three years without making it past the first round? Good grief, no wonder everyone seems so desperate!"_

The young woman winced at the dejected expressions on her teammates' faces as Jimma and Bobba went on to describe how great the home team, the Goers, were, and then steeled herself. _"Ugh, I really hate crowds…but I've got to cheer these guys up!" _Feeling mischievous, she quickly snatched up an unattended megaphone and clambered onto one of the nearby cargo crates. "Hey, Goers!" she shouted, drawing the attention of everyone within earshot. "You guys might want to wipe those silly smiles off your faces, 'cause the Aurochs are taking the cup this year!"

Everyone gaped at her as if she were a madwoman, but in the end, most of them decided to ignore her as she shimmied back to the ground. The rest of the group hurried over, and Wakka groaned, "Charlie, what in Yevon's name were you doing up there?"

"_You know, I'm trying to figure that out, myself!" _Before she could answer, Datto excitedly said, "Boy, we sure stood out though!"

"Yeah, we were on the sphere!" Letty chimed in.

"We were?"

Suddenly, an overly thrilled group of people rushed past, in their hurry to get to one of the other docks. "Maester Mika is here!" cried one member of the crowd.

"Already? Where?" asked another.

"The number three dock!" shouted a third person.

After the excited mob stampeded by, Charlie scratched her head in confusion and asked, "What the hell was that all about?"

"Maester Mika has arrived!" Yuna replied, clearly as excited as the rest of the townsfolk.

"Uh…Yuna, I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything, but what's a Maester?"

"Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira, and he's come all the way from Bevelle," Lulu said, her voice carrying more than a hint of exasperation at Charlie's bewilderment. "The tournament is being held to honor his fifty years as maester."

"_Leader of all the peoples…so he's kind of like the President of Spira, then?" _Then she did a double take and said, "Did you say fifty years? That guy has to be older than dirt by now!"

"Hey! Mind your mouth, now!" Wakka scolded, scowling down at her.

The young woman opened her mouth to make a retort, but stopped when Yuna said, "Let's all go see him!"

…

The adjacent dock was heavily crowded, due to all the happily cheering people jostling each other for a better view of the Maester, and it made Charlene very uncomfortable. _"I don't like this. I've got a really bad feeling about this and I really don't want to be here."_

Suddenly, a loud, joyful fanfare blared out over the dock as the first of what appeared to be an escort paraded down the gangplank. The leader had to be the strangest looking man Charlie had ever seen in her life! He was tall and fair-skinned, with stylized dragon tattoos across his chest, and jagged, sky blue hair that stuck out the sides of his head like a pair of demonic horns. _"He's handsome enough," _she supposed, not liking the "superior" aura he radiated as he surveyed the gathering. _"But…his eyes are so cold! It looks like he's staring at a bunch of cattle and can't decide which one he wants to slaughter first."_

The throng went silent for a moment, but quickly began murmuring amongst themselves. "That's a Guado, right?" a man in front of her muttered.

"Who could it be?" a nearby woman wondered.

"Isn't that…Maester Seymour?" the man replied.

The gossiping hushed, however, as Seymour turned and bowed toward the ship, performing the prayer as he did so. Everyone else, except for Charlie, quickly followed suit, as a wizened old man who looked like he'd break apart in a good breeze slowly walked down the gangplank. _"Boy, it'd be awful if that old man had a heart attack and died right here on the dock! All these people would probably start screaming about terrible omens and Armageddon, if he did. The stupid fools don't have any original thoughts for themselves! It would serve them all right if Sin showed up right now and stamped them out of existence for being sheep! They're as bad as the people back home!" _Suddenly, the girl pulled her train of thought to a screeching halt as her face burned with shame. _"Damn it, Charlie, you're such a monster! You don't have the right to judge people like that! How do you know that these people deserve what they've gotten? You're a terrible person for thinking horrible things like that! Oh God, I hope no one around here can read my thoughts, or they might decide that I'm completely psycho!"_

"People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome," Mika said, his voice seemingly unable to go above a whisper. "Rise, Maester Seymour, and all of you as well. I present to you the son of Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past." He pointed at the blue-haired man. "As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon."

"_How many maesters are there?" _Charlie wondered, still trying to shake her evil thoughts.

Just then, Seymour stepped forward and began to speak. "I am Seymour Guado, and I am honored to receive the title of maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as maester to the best of my abilities."

His speech finished, his party departed, and everyone on the dock, except Charlie, respectfully bowed their heads. Wakka, who noticed his friend's refusal to bow, nudged her and whispered, "You too! Bow your head!"

The young woman ignored him, however, and continued to stare absently at the Guado, still shaking the last vestiges of her cruel musings, snapping out of her reverie just in time to lock eyes with the maester for a brief instant that dragged on for a hellish eternity. Seymour's eyes were a clear, icy blue, much lighter than Charlene's own deep indigo, or Yuna's shining sapphire, and were as cold as the dark side of the moon, as empty as the void. Charlie tried to tear her gaze away from him, but those soulless eyes held her as fast as if she were rooted to the spot. _"What the hell is going on? Oh God, make it stop!"_

Finally, for the briefest of instants, Seymour smiled, a calculating smile that screamed, "I know your secret", and continued looking at the crowd, where he then stopped on Yuna and stared, a sly look ghosting across his slightly alien features. He continued to stare, until the young summoner blushed slightly, and then turned and left, moving at a sedate pace. "Really psyches you up, ya?" Wakka asked, clearly honored by Seymour and Mika's appearance.

"Yeah…" Charlie weakly replied.

"All right, last meeting before the match! Hustle!" The blitzer waved his arm in the air and ran ahead, leaving the others to catch up.

Charlene trailed behind; feeling as if she had just swam through a river of sludge and desperately wanting a bath. _"That Seymour guy…he's got the eyes of a demon! The way he stared at me just makes me feel so dirty! It felt like he'd just read my mind, and LIKED what he saw! He didn't really see what I thought just now…did he?" _She shook her head. _"Even if he DID read my mind, why would he like the fact that I thought terrible things about these people…unless he's a bigger monster than I am?"_

…

A little while later, Charlie arrived in the Aurochs locker room, where the rest of the team, minus Wakka, sat, waiting for their coach in anticipation. They jumped to their feet when she opened the door, but sighed with disappointment when they saw who it was. "Hey, don't everybody cheer at once!" the young woman teased when she saw their disappointed looks. "Anyway, where'd Wakka go?"

"He's at the match-up draws," said Datto.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year," Letty replied.

"The year before that, and the year before that, too!" Jassu added.

"Well, we would have lost to anyone anyway," Keepa glumly concluded.

Charlene shook her head in disgust, but then stopped when she felt a familiar tugging sensation. _"Hey, this is that same feeling I got when I found that weird silver disc in Besaid!" _Following the peculiar pull, the young woman stopped in front of one of the lockers and opened it. Inside was another disc, only made of bronze instead of silver. Engraved on it were several tiny flames, along with the word "Tzedek". _"Hmm…I wonder what this thing is supposed to do…"_

Suddenly, Wakka burst into the room with a look of triumph on his face, and she quickly stowed the object away with its silver counterpart in her belt-pouch. "Cap'n Wakka!" Datto cried, nervously shoving his green bandana out of his eyes.

"We're playin' the Al Bhed Psyches first, and if we win, we're in the finals!" Wakka exulted. Everyone gaped at him with various expressions of confusion and shock, so he continued to speak. "That's right, we got seeded! All we need are two wins, and we're champions!"

The whole team cheered enthusiastically at the news, except for Charlie, who just had a terrible realization. _"Oh crap! Wakka never actually told me how to play this stupid game!" _

Just as she was about to make her rather embarrassing announcement, however, the big blitzer turned to her, winked, and said, "First thing's first, though, so let's go over the basics again."

…

Charlene was so busy paying close attention to what Wakka was telling her that, when Yuna and Lulu burst into the room, she fell off the bench with a startled yelp. "There you are!" the summoner exclaimed, not even noticing that her friend was lying on the floor. "We just heard someone say that they spotted Sir Auron in a café!"

"What?" the young woman exclaimed, quickly clambering to her feet.

"Yes, Sir Auron!" she nodded. "Let's go find him!"

Charlie moved to follow Yuna to the door, but then Wakka yelled, "Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon!" The two girls gaped at him for a moment, and then he added, "C-come back quick, ya?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm running all the way back to Besaid, or something," Charlie told him. "I'll be back, I promise."

"Yeah, okay." Wakka sounded doubtful.

Suddenly, Charlene realized that Wakka was nervous. _"Scared stiff is more like it!" _"Hey, Wakka, you need to relax!"

"Huh?"

"You look like you're about to pass out at any moment!" She walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Look, just take some deep breaths. Inhale, then exhale, but don't try them both at once, 'cause that won't work very well."

He cracked a smile, but did as told, while Yuna giggled and Lulu let out another one of her long-suffering sighs. The young woman walked back to the door and said, "Wakka, I won't let you down."

The two girls entered the hallway, where the ever-silent Kimahri stood watch. Yuna turned to Charlie and said, "Maybe we can find Sir Jecht now."

"How are we going to do that? I thought you said he disappeared."

"Sir Auron was also one of my father's guardian's, so he might know where Sir Jecht is. Let's go now!"

Charlene followed Yuna, all the while thinking, _"You know, it doesn't really matter if Auron knows where Jecht, or rather, SIR Jecht is or not. As soon as I find him, he's sending me back home, even if I have to force him to do it!" _She stopped and shook her head. _"Me? Force him? Yeah right! I've got like two months of self-defense lessons under my belt, and he'd probably break me in half if I tried to force him to do anything!"_

Just then, the young woman noticed that a pair of Al Bhed stood in the hallway, staring after Yuna and speaking to each other in their bizarre language. "Hey, you two are from the Al Bhed Psyches, right? Some Al Bhed saved me a while back and…" She stopped, and weakly said, "You…don't understand me…do you?"

They continued to stare at her, their expressions unreadable, and she finally sighed, "Anyway, if you happen to understand any of this, then tell Rikku I said thanks."

Charlie hurried outside the stadium, where she found Yuna and Kimahri standing in the middle of a crowd of wildly cheering people. "I'm sorry," she heard the summoner say. "Please let me through."

Amazingly, the crowd parted for Yuna, and she turned to Charlie and said, "Let's go."

"You're really famous, aren't you?" she replied.

Yuna giggled, and then the three of them continued to thread their way through the crush of people who were hurrying toward the stadium. Suddenly, the summoner stopped, looked around nervously, and said, "I hope we don't get separated."

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Charlie called to her friend, and when Yuna turned around, put her fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle that easily soared above the din of the crowd. "What was that?" Yuna asked, staring at Charlene with amazement.

"I used to do that to cheer Marcus on whenever he played soccer back home," she replied.

"Marcus? Soccer?"

"Uh…never mind." The young woman quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, why don't you try it now?"

Yuna tried to imitate Charlie, but couldn't make a sound. "It's not working."

"You just need to practice, that's all."

"Okay."

"We can use it if we get separated, but…it'd probably be best if we stick together until then."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The three of them continued to make their way through town and Charlie finally stopped and said, "This is a pretty big town!"

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira," Yuna explained.

"You know, I kinda thought that all the towns were small…like Besaid and Kilika."

"Towns don't usually get much bigger than that," the summoner sadly replied. "When a lot of people start to gather…"

"Sin shows up, doesn't it?" Yuna nodded, and Charlie continued to speak. "Is it safe here in Luca?"

"It's not any different, but the stadium is here, and the Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength."

"Why?"

"Blitzball's really the only entertainment we have, and Spira's a little short on fun these days."

"That must really suck!"

The summoner nodded sadly, but then perked up and asked, "I know you said you weren't there long, but is Zanarkand like this too?"

"There were more buildings there, and they were all tall and crammed together."

Yuna's eyes widened as she looked up at the sky. "They must be so tall! Didn't you get dizzy?"

Charlie laughed. "No, but I'm glad that Greenwood wasn't like that. I don't think I could stand living in a place where all the buildings loom over my head like a curse."

Yuna grinned and said, "Let's go find Sir Auron."

…

A little while later, Charlene, Yuna, and Kimahri found the local café and quickly looked around. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Auron anywhere. "He's not here…" the young woman sighed in disappointment.

Suddenly, a pair of Ronso males strolled into the bar and Charlie felt her jaw drop. She had thought Kimahri was big, but both of the strange Ronso stood a full head taller than him, with gold and black manes and unbroken horns that looked dangerously sharp. The two of them spotted Kimahri and immediately harassed him. "Why not talk, Kimahri?" growled the one with the black mane. "Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something! Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?"

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke," said the Ronso with the gold mane. "Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small can't see Yenke and Biran's faces."

"Kimahri forget Ronso friends?" Yenke growled. "We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso!"

"Maybe taught too much," Biran jeered, shoving Kimahri.

"Take 'em out, Kimahri!" Charlie yelled, angry with the bullies.

Yenke laughed uproariously, but quickly hit the floor after the smaller Ronso guardian pegged him in the jaw with a massive uppercut, much to the surprise and dismay of the rest of the people in the café. The barkeep fixed the group with a baleful stare and shouted, "Hey, take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?"

Charlene turned around to stare at the odd-looking screen on the far wall. On it was Maester Mika and Seymour, and the old man was making a grand speech about the tournament. Then, the scenery changed, and the Aurochs and the Psyches started the first round of the tournament with a rush for control of the ball. "Hey, the guys are really looking good out there, aren't they, Yuna?" When there was no response, the young woman looked around and finally realized that the summoner was missing, and Kimahri was still staring down Biran. _"Oh shit!" _"Kimahri! Yuna's gone!"

The Ronso whipped around, and his much larger adversary punched him in the jaw, but he ignored it and rushed out the door, quickly followed by Charlie. The two of them got outside just in time to run into Lulu. "Where in Spira have you two been?" she demanded, looking very much as if she would love to hit the two of them with a Fire spell. "Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches, and in exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."

"WHAT?"

"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic, but let's not take any chances. Let's go get her."

"I'm going too!" Charlie announced, her defiant expression daring Lulu to say otherwise. "This won't be a problem at all…but why would they tell the Aurochs to throw the game? How good a team could they be?"

"Wakka said the same thing," the mage replied. "He'll take care of the game, but in the meantime, we should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock four."

…

Lulu, Kimahri, and Charlene managed to get to the docks with very little difficulty, but then several groups of small blue and yellow robots showed up and things quickly turned downhill. "Where the hell did these damn things come from?" Charlie yelled as she haphazardly whacked one of the offending machines with her sword.

"They're ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed," Lulu explained while blasting another drone with a Thunder spell. "We must have been expected."

Finally, their battle ended, and the three of them looked up at another crystal screen in time to see Wakka barely withstand an attack by three members of the opposing team. "Ooh!" Charlie winced in sympathy as the announcer made some choice comments. "Hey, he's still hanging in there, so that has to be good, right?"

"He won't last," Lulu coldly stated. "Wakka's always like that."

"_Well, that's just rude!" _The young woman kept her comments to herself, however, as she followed the two guardians to the dock. Just then, the Al Bhed vessel pulled away, and the three of them rushed after it, but it was obvious that they would have to jump in order to reach it. _"What the hell am I supposed to do? I can't jump like that!"_

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in Charlie's head and said, _::Here, let me help you.::_

"_Hey, it's you!" _the young woman replied, recognizing the voice of the little boy in purple. _"Where the hell are you at, and why are you talking inside my head?" _

_::There's no time to explain that now! Just listen to me and jump::_

"_Whatever, little man. I just hope this works." _Charlene ran as fast as she could to the far end of the dock, and put all her strength into a leap that, miraculously, carried her onto the swiftly departing vessel. She landed on the deck with a thump and whooped, "Woohoo, I made it!"

Lulu and Kimahri both turned to fix her with surprisingly identical death glares, and Charlie chuckled nervously and said, "I thought I was about to end up in the harbor! Can I help it if I'm happy to not go swimming just yet?"

Before the mage could answer, however, the deck opened up and a huge robot emerged. It was squat, with many gangly little legs and a pair of twin dynamos above its round, humanoid head. With much clanking and whirring of gears, the robot stepped toward the group and fired a high-velocity blitzball in a clear warning shot. "That…could be a problem," Charlie said, quickly drawing her sword.

The robot took another step forward, but quickly retreated when Kimahri and Charlene lashed out at it in a double attack. When they backed away, the big machina fired another ball at its attackers, which exploded on impact and released a thick cloud of oily black smoke. "It can respond with various attacks depending on the type of assault it faces, so be careful!" Lulu cautioned as she launched another bolt in the machine's direction.

"_Thank you, Captain Obvious!" _Suddenly, the smoke thinned out, and the young woman spotted the control panel for the nearby crane. She quickly ran toward it, barely evading another blitzball volley, thinking, _"Maybe we can use this to rip that stupid blitzball launcher off its back!"_

When she punched the keys, however, nothing happened, and she realized that the crane had no power. _"Power…hey, wait a minute!" _Charlie quickly turned to Lulu, who had just tossed a Potion to Kimahri, and shouted, "Lulu, this crane needs some juice! You think you could give it a hand?"

The black mage nodded, her garnet eyes flaring brightly, and she raised her hands to the sky. In response to her soundless call, a great volley of thunderbolts fell from the heavens, striking the crane and the rampaging machina repeatedly. Finally, the deadly rain ended, and the crane came to shuddering, sparking life, waiting for its next command. Charlene quickly punched several keys, and slowly, the huge arm rose up, swung over the robot, and dropped its claw on the target. Then, the claw closed around the machine's dynamo and quickly hauled it into the air. "Go…go…GO!" the young woman yelled as the robot was lifted higher.

Suddenly, the sound of tearing metal forced the three rescuers to cover their ears as the dynamo snapped off and the machina dropped to the deck, where it promptly shorted out and caught fire. Fortunately, it didn't explode, and as the crane dropped the now-useless dynamo into the sea, the ship stopped, the hatch opened and an unconscious Al Bhed man fell out. Behind was Yuna, and she was completely unharmed. "I hope you hurt them," Lulu said, rushing forward to embrace the summoner.

"Just a little," Yuna modestly replied. Then she noticed Charlie looking around the ship and asked, "What is it?"

Some Al Bhed saved me when I first got here, and they took care of me in exchange for some help with an excavation of theirs. I was sort of hoping that this was their ship, but it's not." The young woman sighed, "I wonder if they're all gone."

"What happened?"

"Sin came up near us, and I fell overboard, so I don't know what happened to their ship."

Suddenly, Yuna's expression turned apprehensive. "Um…was there anyone called Cid on that ship?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. They all spoke that weird language of theirs, so I couldn't understand a word they said."

"I see…"

"Wait, who's Cid?"

"He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him."

"So you're an Al Bhed, too, then?"

"On my mother's side, yes, and Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married, but she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help."

"Oh, so you're worried about him. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more."

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage," Lulu suddenly commanded. "The thing about Wakka…he's never had much love for the Al Bhed."

"_Oh God, he's a racist? Of all the stupid…"_

Just then, Yuna let out a startled cry and said, "The game!"

"Oh!" Lulu quickly turned around and launched a ball of bright fire into the sky, where it exploded like a signal flare.

…

A few minutes later, the four of them made it back to the dock, where they caught the last bit of the Aurochs' game, which they won 3-2. "Woohoo, we won!" cheered Charlie.

"We did it! We're in the finals!" Yuna added, practically dancing with joy.

"Not the most…graceful win," Lulu sighed, when she saw Wakka collapse in the blitz pool. "If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Charlene snapped. "He won, didn't he?"

"Excuse me?" the mage demanded dangerously.

"I know that no one could ever take Chappu's place," the young woman said, irritated with the rude comparison. "You were the one who told Wakka that, remember? Look, he may be 'lacking in the imagination department', but I know he'd never try to take Chappu's…"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," she flatly replied before storming off.

"Whatever." Charlie fell into step behind a worried Yuna and impassive Kimahri. _"That woman really needs to get a clue! Wakka likes her, no matter how much he tries to hide it, and he knows better than to try to compete with a dead man, but constantly comparing him to his brother is really uncalled for!"_ She sadly shook her head and sighed. _"Hell, it's not my problem though, so I guess I just need to keep my two cents to myself."_


	11. Riot

Chapter 11: Riot

Charlie, Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri arrived at the locker room, where they found Wakka laid out on the bench, groaning in pain from his injuries. "Hey, I'm back!" the young woman announced, picking up the blitzball and passing it to Datto. Then he, along with the rest of the team, noticed that Yuna was safe, and rushed over to her. "Lady Yuna!" he cried, clearly overjoyed to see her.

"Are you okay?" asked Letty.

She nodded, and said, "All of this happened because of me. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka wanted to know, still stretched out on the bench.

"Hey, she's safe now, so just let it go," Charlie said.

"Don't go near the Al Bhed any more, okay?" he sighed. "They're nothing but trouble."

A few minutes later, Yuna and Kimahri left the locker room to look for seats in the stands, but before they left, the summoner called Charlie over and whispered "Good luck!"

"Thanks."

She returned to the locker room, and noticed Wakka staring at her. "You ready?"

Charlene thought about teasing him, but changed her mind and nodded. "Yeah."

"All right!" The big blitzer then got to his feet, and said, "I got something to tell you boys. After this game…I'm retiring. I promised myself that this would be my last game, so win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "But you know…since we're already here, we might as well win!"

"YEAH!" cheered the Aurochs.

Suddenly, Botta looked nervous, and he asked, "A-am I on the bench?"

Wakka looked at him, then put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, and said, "I'm warming the bench. Charlie's taking my place." Then he turned back to his team and said, "All right, boys, let's win this one! Let's make the Goers goners!"

…

After Charlie and the Aurochs departed, Wakka approached Lulu, who was standing silently in the far corner of the locker room. "I saw you floating there, on the sphere," she said, a strangely worried look in her eyes.

"You weren't supposed to see that," he replied, blushing slightly.

Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he started to fall forward, but the mage managed to catch him without losing her balance and toppling over with him. "You really gave it your all, didn't you?" she asked softly, continuing to hold him.

…

Outside the locker room, Charlie and the Aurochs were busily psyching themselves up before heading off to their match against the Goers. "All right, what're we gonna do?" she asked.

"WIN!" the team shouted in unison.

"For Cap'n Wakka," Botta added.

Then the team headed toward the blitz pool, and Charlie thought, _"Oh man, what the hell am I doing here? I don't even know what position I'm supposed to be playing!"_

Before the voice of doubt could say anything, however, Jassu turned to her and said, "Oh, I almost forgot! The Cap'n asked me to switch places with you, ya? So you'll be playing left defense…if it doesn't bother you, that is."

"_Good God, Wakka's such a flake! Why didn't he tell me this back on the ship? Oh well, it's a lot easier to get in someone's way, so I've got no reason to complain." _Charlie nodded, and replied, "As long as it's okay with you, then its okay with me."

A few moments later, the six of them were in the pool, and approached the Goers, who all wore expressions of smug superiority on their faces. Bickson smiled brightly, and extended his hand to Charlie, as if in a gesture of good faith, but when she moved to take it, he tried to smack her! However, she avoided the blow, and gave him an extremely rude gesture in response. _"Stupid son of a bitch! I ought to kick your ass!" _she fumed as she swam to her position on the field.

Suddenly, the blitzball rocketed above the two midfielders, Letty and Graav, and the game began. Charlene soon realized that the Goers had good reason to be confident, as they were passing the ball and worked together with near-flawless precision. _"Damn, they ARE good, but we can beat them! We have to_!" Just then, the young woman noticed that Abus had caught the ball and was rapidly swimming in her direction. Judging by the wicked grin on his face, he probably thought that she would get scared and try to get out of his way, leaving him free to take a shot. _"I don't think so, you smug bastard!"_

Charlie acted as if she was about to run from him, but at the last moment turned back around managed to snatch the ball from the overconfident Goer's arms, leaving him with a stunned look on his face. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have laughed at his thunderstruck expression, but she didn't want to drown, so she ignored him and swam away as fast as her legs would take her. The young woman managed to get to the halfway mark, and then passed the ball to Letty when she saw Graav barreling down on her. The pass made it through, but the blond Goer couldn't stop in time, and he smashed into Charlie like a runaway freight train! _"Goddamn it, that hurt!" _she winced, before quickly schooling her face into a fierce expression.

Suddenly, there was a huge cry from the Aurochs fans in the stands, and Charlene looked up just in time to see Datto's shot barely slip past the Lucan goalie, Raudy, and score. _"Take that, jerks!" _she exulted, as all the Goers' jaws dropped in sheer amazement. Then the game started up again, and the rest of the first half continued with the Aurochs struggling to keep the now-angry opposition from overwhelming them. Finally, the buzzer sounded, and the first half ended, with the two teams tied with one point apiece. As Charlie and the Aurochs turned to head back to the locker room, a flash of red in the crowd caught the young woman's eye, but when she turned to get a better look, it was gone.

Back in the locker room, Wakka busily gave everyone instructions, which Charlie, who was deep in thought, barely heard. _"I didn't just see Auron in the crowd…did I? No, it couldn't have been him. I'm sure that Mr. High-and-Mighty-Drags-People-to-Strange-Places would have more 'important' things to do with his time besides come watch a blitzball game."_

"Goers are goin' down!" Datto shouted, snapping her out of her reverie.

"YEAH!" she cheered, before heading back out the door.

…

A little while later, the score was still tied, but the Aurochs were running out of energy and it looked like the Goers were going to break the tie at any moment. _"God, this really sucks! We can't let those stuck-up jackasses win like this!"_

Suddenly, the sounds of the crowd changed from incoherent noise to a chant of some sort, and all the players stopped in their tracks to listen. "Wakka! Wakka! Wakka!" yelled the crowd, much to the surprise of everyone who wasn't cheering.

Charlie shook her head and left the pool, where she found Wakka waiting at the entrance. "They're calling your name, my friend," she said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now get out there and show them what you're made of!"

The big man grinned, and joined his team in the pool, while the young woman watched the rest of the game from a screen in the corridor. With their captain back in the saddle, the Aurochs found their second wind, and the excitement of the game reached a fever pitch. Bickson caught the ball and made his shot in a last-ditch effort to break the tie and win the game, but Keepa made an amazing save that involved some rather unusual acrobatics and chucked the ball to Botta. The scarred redhead, in turn, swam like crazy for the opposite goal, with Bickson, Abus, and Graav right on his tail, but when he reached the goal, instead of shooting, he turned around and passed it to Wakka! The guardian was wide open, so he easily caught the blitzball and put on a burst of speed in his effort to reach the goal. "Go man, go! Go, go, GO!" Charlie shouted at the top of her lungs, drawing some odd looks from the nearby security guard.

The clock was winding down, and there were ten seconds left when Wakka kicked the ball with all his might. The blue and white sphere rocketed toward the goal, and Raudy tried to block it, but it slipped past his fingers and went through just as the buzzer sounded, ending the match. "Holy shit, we WON!" Charlie shrieked, glomping the poor security guard and laughing joyously, as the crowd outside roared its approval.

Then she realized that she was squeezing the life out of a complete stranger, so she let go of the poor man and rushed back to the blitz pool to find Wakka. The young woman found her friend floating face up in the water with a happy, but exhausted, grin on his face. He spotted her swimming toward him, and gave her a thumbs-up. Suddenly, the cheers of the crowd turned into screams of terror and panic, and Wakka and Charlie found themselves surrounded by huge fishlike fiends. _"These things look like the ones back in the sunken temple_!" she realized as she cut one of them down with her sword.

Despite their exhaustion from the blitzball match, the two of them managed to defeat the yellow fish monsters and get out of the pool. "What the hell is going on?" Charlie panted as she and Wakka ran outside. "How did fiends get into the stadium?"

"I don't know, but this is really bad, ya?" the big blitzer replied.

They ran out the door, taking down a couple of wolf-like Dingoes, and then spotted a huge, brown, lizard-like fiend that was snarling at someone they couldn't see. Charlene stood on her tiptoes, peered over the monster's back, and nearly fell over when she spotted Auron. The swordsman smirked at the beast as it slowly advanced on him, and shrugged off the left side of his coat, easily slipping into a fighting stance. The dragonish beast roared again and went on the attack, but Auron quickly sheared it in half with his giant katana. As the creature faded away into a cloud of pyreflies, Charlie and Wakka ran up to him. _"It's him! It's really him!"_

"Sir Auron!" the blitzer cried, his expression a mix of relief and awe.

The young woman stopped and stared at her friend. "Wakka, you know him?"

"Yeah, he's the best guardian there ever was."

Charlie turned to say something to the swordsman, but before she could say anything, a Garuda attacked and yet another battle began. The huge bird shrieked loudly, nearly bowling them over with its reeking breath, and tried to swoop down on them, but Wakka knocked it out of the sky with a brutal blow to the skull. Stunned, the Garuda tried to get back into the air, but Charlene stabbed it in the ribs with the Brotherhood, while Auron cut off its head. As it vanished, yet even more monsters showed up, looking for a fight, and Charlie yelled, "Aw, come on! Give us a break!"

Just then, Seymour, who was still standing in the VIP section, performed the prayer as a series of bright lights flared around him. Then, a massive anchor dropped out of the sky and sank into a well of darkness, and when it came back out, a creature out of a nightmare came with it. It was huge, emaciated, and bound with great black chains, and Charlene stared at it with sheer horror as it roared in agony. _"What the… Is that an aeon?"_

The creepy aeon's one green eye flashed brightly, and each time it flashed, a fiend would burst into pyreflies and die. Repeatedly, the giant's eye flared, until all the monsters in the stadium died, and when it finally stopped, Charlie noticed that it wept tears of blood. Satisfied that the monsters were gone, Seymour banished his aeon and smiled his eerie smile at the crowd. _"What in God's name was that thing's deal?" _Charlie wondered, shuddering in revulsion. _"It looked like it was in pain! Why the hell does that creepy bastard have an aeon, anyway? I thought the summoners were the only ones who could call them!"_

…

A little while later, Charlene and Auron stood on the docks, and the young woman finally gave vent to her rage in a stream of blistering curses that made the swordsman raise his eyebrow in surprise. "You have quite the mouth on you," he said when she finally stopped cussing.

She rounded on him, her blue eyes flashing, and then grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him. "Don't just stand there and act all calm, you psychotic nutball! All of this is YOUR fault!" _"Okay, it's the little purple boy's fault, too, but he ain't here, so you'll have to do." _"You're the one who dragged me into Sin! You're the one who brought me to Spira, and now I can't go home! This is all your goddamn fault!"

Finally finished with her tirade, Charlie let go of him, and he threw back his head and laughed loudly. She suppressed the urge to hit him, thinking, _"Okay Charlie, you will be calm, you will be serene, and you WILL NOT kill this son of a bitch! He's your only ticket home, so killing him won't help anything…not that you could kill him in a fair fight, anyway."_

Auron stopped laughing, and the furious girl glared at him. "Just who the hell are you, anyway?" she demanded, "You knew Tidus, so you must have known Jecht, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, not looking at her.

"You also knew Yuna's father, Braska, right?"

"That's correct."

"You're a liar!" she snapped. "There's no way that can be true…it's impossible!"

"There's nothing impossible about it," the swordsman coldly replied, turning back around. "Jecht, Braska, and I…together we defeated Sin, ten years ago. Then I went to Zanarkand to watch over the boy so I could one day bring him to Spira."

"Yeah, well he died, so why the hell did you bring me here?"

"Jecht asked me to."

"Bull! The only signs I saw of Jecht in Zanarkand were those big billboards, so unless you really ARE a whack job, I highly doubt it."

"I felt something of Jecht there, inside that shell. You never knew him, so you might not have realized it at the time, but you must have been able to feel him when you came in contact with Sin."

Charlie paled. "No…friggin'…way! That can't be right!"

"It is," Auron said his expression unreadable behind his high collar and sunglasses. "Sin is Jecht."

"Why would he kill his own son and drag some strange girl to Spira in his place, huh? I don't believe you!"

"I don't know, but it is the truth," he replied, as implacably as an avalanche. "You'll see for yourself. Come with me."

"_Who in bloody flaming hell do you think you are?" _"What if I refuse?"

"Every story must have an ending."

"This is real life!" Charlie yelled. _"Well…it is now, but they'd just lock me up if I said this was supposed to be a video game." _"Besides, even if it was just a story, that doesn't mean I'd really give a flying fig about it!"

"I see…sorry you feel that way. Come or don't come, it's your decision."

Auron walked away, and Charlene gaped at him for a moment before pulling her shoe off and chucking it at his back in rage. The flying footwear smacked his shoulder, and the swordsman whipped around and pinned her with a death glare. She managed to hold back a flinch, and screamed, "What am I supposed to say, huh? You say it's my choice, but I have to go with you! I already ran into Sin twice since I got here, and neither one of those times sent me home, so if I don't go with you, then I'm stuck here forever!"

Charlie turned around, her shoulders visibly shaking as she tried to keep from crying. _"I will NOT cry! I won't give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing me cry!"_

"It's irritating, I know…or are you afraid?" When the young woman didn't say anything, Auron turned around and placed a hand on her shoulder, which, surprisingly enough considering her current mood, she didn't shrug away. "It's all right."

She swallowed hard, trying to choke back her tears, and in a small voice, asked, "Auron, will I ever go home again?"

"That's up to Jecht." He pulled his hand away and said, "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."

"I don't come on command," she muttered. _"Let him take that however he wants!"_

Auron stared at her for a moment, startled, and then raised an eyebrow at her. Despite the fact that the swordsman's high collar obscured his face, Charlie knew he was grinning and she felt herself blush furiously._ "Oh God, he took it THAT way, didn't he?" _She cleared her throat, and said, "Anyway, I don't think I ever told you my name, did I?"

…

A few minutes later, after Charlene put her shoe back on, she and Auron arrived at the outskirts of the city, where Yuna and the rest of the gang stood, talking, but they quickly stopped and stared when they saw the swordsman. "Whoa…" Wakka breathed, his eyes as round as dinner plates.

"Sir Auron!" Yuna gasped in amazement.

"Yuna, I wish to become your guardian," he said with all the solemnity of a priest. "Do you accept?"

"You're serious?" Lulu asked.

"You refuse?" Auron wanted to know, when Yuna didn't say anything.

Charlie, who stood behind him, found herself wondering exactly what he planned on doing if she did refuse him. _"If she does, fifty bucks says that he'll stalk her all over Spira."_

Suddenly, Yuna shook her head and said, "No, no! We accept, right everyone?"

"O-of course!" Wakka stammered, "No problem at all!"

"But…why?" Lulu demanded.

"I promised Braska."

Yuna blinked. "You promised my father? Thank you, Sir Auron! You're welcome to join us!"

"_SIR Auron? Sir my ass!" _Charlene smirked, but then Auron grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. "She comes too," he said.

Everyone blankly stared at her, and she chuckled weakly. "Uh…hello again."

"This one I promised Jecht," the swordsman explained.

"Is Sir Jecht alive?" Yuna asked.

"I can't say. I haven't seen him in ten years."

"I…see."

"You'll meet eventually," he assured her.

She brightened at that. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it!"

His explanations finished, Auron turned to Lulu and started asking her questions, while Yuna motioned for Charlie to join her on the balcony. The summoner smiled, and said, "Hey, watch this!"

Then she put her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and let out a clear, piercing whistle. Charlene gaped at her for a moment, and then said, "Hey, you've gotten pretty good. Have you been practicing?"

Yuna nodded, and then noticed the sorrowful look on her friend's face. "You seem sad."

"Yeah, just a little." _"Okay, more than a little, but it wouldn't be fair for me to just dump all my problems on you."_

"Wanna scream?"

"I'd probably better not." _"Auron would probably think I was dying and give me a mercy killing…or come poke me with a stick to see if I'd twitch."_

Charlie shook off a rather amusing mental picture of Auron standing on the side of the road, poking an amorphous giggling blob, and then looked at Yuna. "You know what?" the summoner asked. "It's embarrassing to say this myself…but summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know?"

"I think I understand what you mean. People are easily reassured by a smile, aren't they?"

"Right, now let's see what you can do!"

Charlie blinked, startled by Yuna's sudden command, but the summoner grinned and said, "Come on!"

The young woman winced, but did as she was told. The smile was completely unnatural, but there nonetheless. "Uh…I think my face just cracked."

Yuna giggled, and then said, "Next, try laughing out loud!"

"What?"

"Come on, show me!"

Charlie blinked again, feeling like a complete idiot, but then the "Auron the Blob Poker" image popped into her head again, and she started snickering in spite of herself. Then Yuna joined in, despite the fact that she didn't know why Charlie was laughing, and the two girls laughed as if it were going out of style. Finally, they regained their composure, and the summoner said, "Too funny!"

"It was your idea, you know!" Charlene replied, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Um…thank you," Yuna said. "I want my journey to be full of laughter."

"All right."

"If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running, I promise."

The young woman nodded and said, "Okay, let's go."

The two of them turned around and noticed that the rest of their group was staring at them with various expressions. Lulu and Wakka looked worried, while Kimahri looked calm as always, and Auron…just looked like Auron. "You know, a picture would last longer!" Charlie stared back at them and asked, "What's the matter?"

"We were just worried you guys might have gone crazy!" Wakka replied.

"But Wakka…we ARE crazy! Didn't you know?" When the blitzer gave her a startled look, she sighed, "Uh…I was just kidding about that. We aren't crazy." _"As far as I know, anyway, but I don't think crazy people actually know that they're crazy."_

Then Yuna strolled past everyone onto the stone steps, and cheerfully announced, "Now we will go to the temple of Djose. And guardians…don't forget to smile."

"_Smile, huh? I can picture Wakka smiling, but he's a cheerful guy, so that isn't that difficult. Lulu would probably explode if she smiled, and Kimahri's smile could probably scare crying babies into silence…if he even knows how to smile, that is. Auron…I can't really tell, since he's so hellbent on hiding behind that collar, but he probably looks like he's about to tear somebody a new one when he smiles. Wait…why the hell am I even worried about how these people look when they smile? I'm not supposed to get attached to these people, because I'm leaving the moment I find a way out of here!"_

"_Too late for that, you dingbat!" _whispered the voice of doubt. _"You like ALL of these people and you damn well know it! If you didn't, then you wouldn't be trying so hard to not like them."_

"_Quiet, you!" _she scolded. _"Yeah, I like Yuna and Wakka and the others…but not Auron."_

"_Oh, he'll grow on you, I'm sure."_

"_Yeah…like a fungus."_

Suddenly, Wakka's voice snapped her out of her reverie, as he shouted, "Hey Sleepyhead, you better hurry up or we'll leave you behind!"

"Sorry!" Charlie rushed to catch up to the others, the whole time thinking, _"Well, I've gone and done it, haven't I? I found some more people to care about, so now all I have to do is sit back and wait for the disasters to start."_


	12. Traveling

Chapter 12: Traveling

Charlie stared out at the seemingly endless expanse of the Mi'ihen Highroad, where a well-worn, but strangely lonely path led the way to the group's next destination. As they traveled, however, Charlene quickly learned that there were more than enough fiends to make up for the fact that the road was nearly deserted. "How long is it going to take to get to the next temple?" she asked Auron as they finished off a monster that looked something like a large, horned bear.

"Several days, depending on the number of fiends we face," he bluntly replied, shouldering his katana. Then he shot her a sidelong look, and said, "Your swordwork is sloppy."

"Well, EXCUSE me, but people don't usually learn how to use swords where I'm from!" she snapped, putting away the Brotherhood. "I think I've done quite well for myself, thank you very much!" _"Of course, somebody somewhere had to have given me some help, but you don't need to know that."_

"Yes, you have," Auron conceded. "But natural talent and incredible good luck are only going to get you so far. You need training."

"I suppose that you're the one to teach me then?" When he did not say anything, Charlie just threw her hands into the air and said, "You know, you really make my head hurt! Just forget I said anything!"

She stalked off, leaving Auron at the back of the group, and stared at the nearby ruins of a tower. _"What happened here?" _she wondered.

"Do you know what those ruins are from?" asked a strange male voice from behind.

Charlene turned around and stared blankly at an oddly dressed old man in green clothes and a pointy hat. "Umm…I guess they're from some old city, or something," she replied, slightly bewildered by the man's sudden appearance.

"Correct," he nodded. "They're from a city most ancient. A terrible testament to Sin's power; I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies!"

Just then, Yuna walked up and said, "But I believe that humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin."

"A good reply," he smiled, "I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner." Then the old man blinked, as if he had just remembered something, and said, "Where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar, at your service, m'lady."

"Well, if you're a scholar, then what are you doing all the way out here?" Charlie wanted to know.

"I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets. My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen." Maechen shook his head and sighed. "Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin…they are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoice once more."

"I will," Yuna promised.

…

Some time later, the party had managed to travel quite a distance relatively unmolested, when three people mounted on large yellow birds approached. _"Hmm…either those are chocobos, or the people here have bred some super-sized chickens!" _Charlie thought to herself as one of the riders, a redheaded woman in blue and green saluted them. "Lady Summoner, I presume?" the strange woman asked Yuna, her tone mildly friendly.

"Yes, I am Yuna," she replied politely.

"I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights," the lead rider replied.

"And I'm Elma," added a dark-haired rider in red. "We've been charged to guard the Highroad."

Charlene waited to see if the third rider, a baby-faced young man in green, would introduce himself, but he kept silent, so she turned her attention back to Captain Lucil. "There have been reports of a large fiend in this area with a taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos."

"Thank you. We will be careful," Yuna said with a bow.

"Good. We should get back to our rounds now. Farewell."

Lucil rode away, and Elma said, "Our prayers are with you."

Then, the three of them rode away, leaving the group standing in the middle of the road. Charlie watched the Chocobo Knights depart, and then declared, "We should do something!"

Everyone just stared at the young woman as if she had spoken a foreign language, but finally, Auron said, "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? It's a big rampaging monster, and it could really hurt somebody! Besides…it's the right thing to do."

"It's the right thing to do?" Auron shook his head and chuckled softly.

"Did I say something funny?" she demanded. _"I'm just SO glad I amuse you, prick!"_

"Jecht said that a lot, too, and every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me."

"Yeah, well I'm not Jecht."

The swordsman looked her up and down, and said, "That much is quite obvious."

Charlie blinked once, then quickly turned her back to him as she felt herself blush…again. _"Good God, what the hell is my problem?"_

Before anyone could say anything else, a low female voice chuckled and said, "A summoner's party, I presume?"

Everyone turned and stared as a woman in a green and yellow dress approached Yuna. "And you would be Yuna, the daughter of Lord Braska."

"Yes ma'am."

"My name's Belgemine and I believe that I may have a lot that I could teach a young summoner like you. I challenge you to a contest of aeons…a friendly contest, of course."

Yuna nodded and said, "All right, I accept your challenge."

While the two summoners prepared to face off, the rest of the party stepped back to give them room. "So…what's going on?" Charlie asked, confusedly staring at Yuna and Belgemine.

"An aeon battle, ya?" Wakka replied. When the young woman gave him a helpless look, he said, "Sometimes, two summoners will train by fighting each other with their aeons."

Just then, the older summoner raised a hand, and the ground before her burned with a strange sigil made of brilliant scarlet fire. The flames roared loudly, and then the earth exploded as a huge, fearsome demon burst from below with a mighty leap. The great beast then plummeted to the ground, where it landed on all fours and let out a bellow that sounded much like the fires that spawned it. "What the hell is that?" Charlie yelled, staring at the terrible aeon in complete awe.

"That is Ifrit, the aeon of Fire," Lulu explained, not looking at her.

Ifrit was a large, muscular creature that looked much like a wolf, only with long, curved black horns on its head and waves of flame burning on its shoulders, and eyes that burned a hellish yellow as it roared again. _"So that's the one Yuna got from Kilika Temple, then? I was wondering what it looked like…"_

Suddenly, Charlene lost her train of thought as Yuna summoned Valefor with the usual spectacular pyrotechnics. The great bird dropped from the sky, and after giving its caller the usual greeting, began the fight with Ifrit by lashing out with its dagger-like talons. The blazing demon was too slow to evade the attack, and ended up with a trio of freely bleeding slashes on its arm that dripped fire to the ground. In response, Ifrit seemingly pulled a massive ball of flame from the air around it and launched it at its opponent, severely singing the sky aeon's wings. Charlie watched the battle with great interest, all the while thinking, _"Come on, Yuna! I know you and Valefor can beat this Princess Leia wannabe!"_

…

Some time later, the two aeons, now badly damaged, still fought one another as the sun hung low in the western sky, but neither one seemed ready to give up. Finally, Ifrit lunged at Valefor and pulled it from the sky in an attempt to cripple the bird and end the fight. However, the demon did not count on its enemy's special ability, and ended up taking a great beam of energy full in the face. Ifrit sailed across the road, where it smashed into one of the many wrecks that dotted the Highroad. The fire aeon struggled to get to its feet, but finally collapsed to the dirt and dissolved into a cloud of pyreflies.

Seeing that it had won, Valefor got to its feet and crooned gratefully to Yuna as it returned to its place of rest. Once it vanished, Belgemine strolled up to her victorious opponent and bowed. "You are quite gifted, Yuna," she said. "With enough training, you just might be able to defeat Sin."

"Thank you," Yuna modestly replied, "But I think that you will beat Sin before I'm able to."

"I…cannot." The older woman looked away, an obscure sadness in her eyes. "Or should I say…I was not able to."

"You mean you're…"

Belgemine smiled at her and then slowly walked away. "Farewell, Yuna. We shall meet again."

After the mysterious summoner left, the group noticed that night had finally fallen, and chose a nearby clearing as a campsite for the night. Once everyone finished eating some of their travel rations, they drew lots to see who would take what watch, and Charlene ended up on second watch with Auron. _"If I didn't know better, I'd swear to God that there was some kind of conspiracy going on!"_ she groaned, running a hand over her eyes. _"Of course, he's taking the first watch with Lulu, too, so I really shouldn't say anything." _Finally, she decided that it was not worth fretting over, and just stretched out across her bedroll and resolutely shut her eyes.

…_Flash…_

Charlie looked around and realized that she was back on Besaid Island, on the road that led from the village to the beach. Wondering where everyone was, the young woman strolled down the path, until a Water Flan slithered out of the bushes and impeded her progress. "All right," she snarled, glowering at the little blob, "You've got two choices: you can either move your jiggling ass out of my way, or I'll move it for you!"

The Flan narrowed its beady orange eyes in response to the threat, and let loose a Water spell that thoroughly soaked Charlie's clothes. "That does it!" she yelled, reaching for her sword. "I tried to be nice, but now you've just pissed me off and…"

The young woman's angry tirade trailed off as she stared disbelievingly at the large pickle that appeared instead of the Brotherhood. "What the hell am I supposed to do with a damn pickle…throw it at him and hope he gets food poisoning?"

Suddenly, it did not matter anymore, because Auron showed up, seemingly from nowhere, and killed the little fiend with a single stroke of his sword. When it collapsed into pyreflies, the swordsman turned around, and Charlene started to yell at him, but the words died on her tongue when she realized what he was wearing. Instead of his usual outfit, Auron wore nothing but a pair of dark blue swim-trunks with bright yellow flowers, a pair of flip-flops, and, strangely enough, his turquoise belt with the tokkuri hanging off it. _"What kind of crack is he smoking, wearing an outfit like that?" _one part of her mind wondered, while the rest said, _"Oh…my…God!"_

Before she could worry about transforming into an anime character and dying from a massive nosebleed, Wakka showed up, followed by Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri. Charlie did not know whether she should laugh, or just gape at them. Wakka was wearing a perfect replica of Auron's usual outfit, minus the massive katana, and he walked up to Charlie and asked, "I'm lookin' pretty good, ya?"

"Uh…" Truthfully, while the outfit did fit the blitzer, it just did not look right, for some reason. Deciding not to hurt the poor man's feelings, she quickly turned her attention to Lulu and Yuna, who had apparently swapped clothes. The summoner wore the black mage's revealing black dress, but somehow managed to shrink it down so that she did not fall out of it, and the mage wore her blue and white outfit, which had undergone similar alterations to avoid the same predicament. "Hey, why did you two switch clothes?" Charlie wanted to know.

Yuna smiled and said, "Love may make the world go round, but money's what greases the axle."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? That doesn't answer my question!" the young woman shouted.

Lulu suddenly burst into tears and sobbed, "The monkeys stole all my laundry!"

"Ooookaaaaay…" Charlene backed away from the two seemingly insane women, and straight into Kimahri, who was wearing a finely tailored tuxedo and a pair of sunglasses that somehow fit his feline features. The Ronso peered down at her with an expression of what had to be sheer amusement, and said, "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to smile every once in a while."

"What the hell? I think all of you have lost your goddamn minds!"

Instead of saying anything, they all just shook their heads in unison, and then the little boy in purple appeared, leading the group in what appeared to be something from "Riverdance"…

…_Flash…_

Charlie sat bolt upright and scratched her head in utter confusion. "That had to be the craziest dream I've ever had in my life!" she muttered, not realizing that Lulu was standing over her.

The black mage chuckled and replied, "Well, whatever it was, it woke you just in time, because it's your turn to keep watch."

The young woman just nodded, as Lulu quickly returned to her own bedroll and fell asleep. _"This suits me just fine. Besides, who could sleep after something as weird as that?" _She looked around at her friends' slumbering forms, and smiled when she noticed Wakka kicking the empty air as hard as he could. _"That guy eats, breathes, and sleeps blitzball, doesn't he? I feel sorry for anyone who shares a bed with him, that's for sure!" _Then Charlene realized that Auron was still awake, albeit not looking at her, and she blinked as the image of the swordsman in beach attire ghosted in front of her eyes. _"I wonder if he really looks that good under that leather armor…" _She quickly pounced on that thought and wrestled it back into the mental closet it crawled out of, locking the door behind it. _"Girl, you'd better keep those kinds of thoughts out of your head! You're not supposed to like him, remember?"_

"_Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with looking, is there?" _the annoying little voice asked slyly.

Suddenly, Auron looked at her, his expression unreadable behind the sunglasses and collar. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"No, no!" she replied. Then she looked up at the sky and gasped, "Wow! I've never seen so many stars!"

"Really." It was not a question.

"Yeah. There are a lot of streetlights where I live, you see, and it's hard to see most of the stars through all that light."

"Hmm…I suppose it is strange to someone who isn't used to it."

After that, the swordsman remained silent, and the rest of their watch passed uneventfully. When it finally ended, Charlie woke Wakka up and went back to sleep, where, thankfully, no more dreams assailed her.

…

Charlene awoke the next morning to loud screams coming from further down the Highroad, and sprang to her feet, despite the cracking sounds her spine made in protest at having to move so quickly. "What's going on?" she asked, pushing her messy hair out of her face.

"Fiends," Auron shortly replied, striding off, sword in hand.

The party hurried down the road a little ways, and arrived just in time to see a pair of flaming orange balls corner a mother and her young daughter. "What the hell are those things?" Charlie asked, staring at the floating fiends with some bewilderment.

"Bombs," Lulu answered, casting a Blizzard spell on the nearest one. "You have to be careful, because they'll…"

The mage never finished her sentence, because Charlie chose that moment to go on the offensive and knock away the Bomb that rushed toward the little girl and her mother. The fiery fiend turned and fixed the young woman with a murderous glare as its body swelled, becoming twice the normal size. _"Oh crap! If these little bastards are like the ones from the other games, then this thing will blow up if I hit it again!"_

The angry Bomb surged toward her, and she had to smack it again, or take the oncoming blow. _"I can't risk having it blow up and hurt the lady and her kid…" _Then, the fiend smashed into her just as she pulled her sword up to block the attack, and somehow, Charlie managed to knock the volatile little monster to the ground, where it began to flicker dangerously. _"Oh God, this is going to hurt…" _screamed her thoughts, as she braced herself for the inevitable explosion, hoping that her being in the way would be enough to spare the bystanders.

Suddenly, Wakka rushed forward and kicked the flickering Bomb with all his might, and the fiend sailed several yards before exploding with enough force to knock everyone to the ground. "You okay?" the blitzer asked, helping Charlie to her feet. "For a moment, I thought you were gonna jump on top of that thing!"

"I…just didn't want to see any innocent people get hurt." _"I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me!" _"Hey, where'd the other one go?"

"It fled during that explosion," Auron said, stalking over and glowering at her. "You won't be very helpful if you continue to take stupid risks like that. You'll only get yourself killed."

"I had my reasons." _"Reasons which are none of your damn business, thank you very much!"_

Instead of demanding to know what they were, the swordsman merely grunted and fell silent as Yuna healed the mother and her child. Fortunately, the gang had arrived just as the fiends made their assault, so all the injuries were minor. "Oh thank you, Lady Summoner!" the mother cried, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.

Then the little girl's eyes went wide, and she asked, "You're a summoner?"

"Yes. My name is Yuna."

"I'm Calli," the girl shyly replied.

"It's very nice to meet you, Calli," Yuna replied with a smile.

The young girl then tugged on one of her pigtails, and asked, "Lady Yuna, are you going to bring us the Calm?"

"Yes, very soon."

"Yay!" Calli cheered, running gleeful circles around Yuna.

The mother watched her daughter's antics with some amusement, but then her expression turned hopeful, and slightly desperate. "We're looking forward to another Calm, Lady Summoner."

"I'll do my best," Yuna promised.

"Good luck to you." The woman bowed, and then looked at the rest of the party. "And good luck to your guardians as well."

Everyone gave the woman various responses, and then watched as Calli and her mother waved goodbye before heading off toward Luca. After they left, Charlie scratched her head and asked, "Hey, what's the 'Calm'?"

"The Calm is a time of peace," Lulu explained, miraculously without smacking her forehead in disgust. "It comes after a summoner defeats Sin, and lasts until Sin reappears."

"Sin dies and is reborn," Yuna added.

"What like reincarnation?" Everyone gave Charlie another one of those blank looks, so she said, "I think I understand now. Your dad beat it ten years ago, and now it's back again…but if it just reappears, then…"

"Don't say it isn't worth it!" Yuna pleaded. "Because it is."

Charlene just nodded, and as the group went back to camp to gather their things, she could not help but think, _"I can't blame them for wanting the Calm…especially after what Sin did to Kilika. I suppose that kind of time, one without Sin, is priceless to these people, but it's really only a reprieve. What I don't understand is how it keeps coming back! There's something more going on here, and I have a feeling that we're only touching the tip of the iceberg."_

…

A little while later, the party had made good time in their trek up the Highroad, and caught up to a chocobo-drawn wagon that had suspicious snarls and hisses coming out of it. Alongside it stood Gatta and Luzzu, who stopped to speak with them. "Hey!" the younger Crusader yelled, waving as everyone approached. Then he looked at Wakka and Charlie, and said, "Hey, we saw the game, and you guys were great!"

"Congratulations, Wakka!" Luzzu added.

Just then, Elma and Lucil rode up, and shot the two soldiers some annoyed looks. "Hey! Stop loafing around!" the dark-haired rider ordered.

"Uh…the lady summoner and her guardians…" Gatta began, but fell silent as Lucil frowned at him.

"This mission requires our full attention. We've no time to waste, understood?"

Gatta's mouth opened and closed like a landed fish, and Luzzu quickly stepped in front of him and saluted. "Yes ma'am! Apologies, ma'am!"

Satisfied, the captain nodded and said, "Carry on."

The two women rode off, and Luzzu turned to his young comrade and said, "See? Just keep your head down, say 'sir' a lot, and you'll do fine."

Gatta flushed, and he stared down at his feet. "Right…sir," he murmured, clearly embarrassed.

Yuna giggled, reminding the two Crusaders that they still had an audience, and the handsome redhead turned around and said, "Hey, Yuna, even though Yevon rejected us we still believe in you. That won't ever change."

"Thank you, Sir Luzzu, Sir Gatta," she replied, bowing to both of them, "But you know…it's not too late for you to go back to Besaid, and…"

Suddenly, Gatta turned to Luzzu, and said, "We should be going, sir!" The two of them then gave Yuna an apologetic look, and returned to their duties with the wagon.

After the group passed the slowly moving chocobo caravan, the journey continued in relative silence, save for a few fiend battles and rather subdued conversation. _"Gatta and Luzzu…whatever they're doing, it's obviously something that is getting them into a lot of trouble!" _Charlie thought, sadly shaking her head. _"Well, whatever it is, they must believe that it's the right thing to do, or they wouldn't have turned down Yuna's advice like that…"_

Just then, the sounds of a loud argument snapped her out of her musings, and she saw man in a red and blue Crusader uniform arguing with a young woman in green and white robes. _"Hmm…she must be from one of the temples. I wonder which one?"_

"We will defeat Sin any way we can!" the Crusader yelled, his harsh tone brooking no argument.

"But Yevon's teachings say…" the girl began in a timid voice.

"Enough!" the man shouted, shoving her aside as he stormed off.

As the rude Crusader disappeared up the Highroad, Yuna hurried to check on the shaken temple girl. "I-I only meant to…"

"Are you all right?" Yuna asked, clearly concerned for the girl.

"Lady Summoner?"

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then performed the prayer to one another. "Yes, I am Yuna."

"It is an honor, my lady," the girl replied. "My name is Shelinda, and I am a disciple of Yevon."

"What was that all about?" Wakka wanted to know. "Was it the Crusaders' operation?"

"Hey, that's the thing Gatta and Luzzu are involved in, isn't it?" Charlie asked.

"I heard they were to use forbidden machina!" Shelinda cried, clearly upset. "I had to stop them."

"What for?"

Once again, everyone stared at Charlie as if she had just sprouted an unusual growth in some very visible place, and Lulu said, "The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood!"

"That's bad, ya?" Wakka added.

"_So that's why this place looks like a third world hellhole!" _Charlene kept that thought to herself, however, and just nodded. "Let them use whatever they want," Auron impassively replied. "They still won't defeat Sin."

"But it's not about defeating Sin!" Shelinda yelled. When Auron continued to stare at her, the disciple flinched, and then added, "The teachings of Yevon must be upheld!"

"Yeah! That's right!" Wakka confirmed, looking a little too self-righteous in Charlie's opinion.

"But you don't understand!" Shelinda whined. "The Crusaders won't even listen to me…and it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte."

She looked so dejected that Charlie could not help but pity her. _"Wow, her self-esteem's even lower than mine! I'm practically an egomaniac compared to this girl!"_

"Don't say that," Yuna admonished. When Shelinda stared at her, she continued, "Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long, myself, you see. Still, I can't put myself down every time I fail, because people are depending on me…they're depending on both of us!"

The acolyte blinked at the summoner for a moment, and then her expression became much happier. "Yes, you're right, my lady! You're absolutely right! Thank you so much, Lady Yuna! Now I feel I have the courage to finish my training."

With that, Shelinda merrily skipped away, and Charlie just shook her head and sighed. _"I hate to say it, but that girl is one spineless little mouse! I bet she just takes orders without question, which is probably why they let her join the temples. God, she's just a doormat waiting to be walked on!"_

…

Later that afternoon, the gang reached the halfway point of the Highroad; a narrow cliff hemmed in by the sea on one side and the starting point of a ravine on the other. Amazingly, a building stood nearby, complete with a chocobo corral, and if Charlie read the sign right, it said "Travel Agency". _"Well, I suppose that putting something like that out here would be a good idea. Hmm…I wonder if they rent out rooms, too."_

Before she could ask, however, Auron stopped walking and said, "We rest here."

"But this is an Al Bhed shop!" Wakka yelled, looking as if he would rather die than set foot in the building.

"Is that a problem?" Auron demanded in a dangerous tone.

"They don't believe in Yevon, and…" The blitzer searched for another reason, while Charlie closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable outburst. _"Three…two…one…"_

"And in Luca, they kidnapped Yuna!" he finished.

"_And we have a winner, ladies and gentleman! Now let's see if we get another one."_

"Where were her guardians?" the swordsman wanted to know.

"_And that makes two! See, everyone can be a winner in 'Dig the Hole Deeper'!"_

Wakka's mouth hung open, but he quickly closed it again and became quite fascinated by his feet, while Lulu smacked her forehead and sighed. Then, Yuna put a hand on the blitzer's shoulder and said, "Sir Auron's just concerned about your health."

The big man just crossed his arms and pouted, "I'm not tired one bit!"

"Well, I am."

Apparently finished with letting Wakka put his foot in it, Auron turned around and entered the Al Bhed shop. Charlie, who did not trust herself to remain civil, followed him. Only a moment later, Yuna, Lulu, Kimahri, and a very angry Wakka joined them. "How may I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked, with only a trace of an accent.

"We need rooms for the night," Auron stated, apparently deciding that he was in charge. "As many as you can spare."

The Al Bhed woman looked at them, then at the registry book on the counter, and said, "We've got three rooms available, but there's only one bed in each of them, so you'll have to share. Is that all right?"

When the swordsman nodded in agreement, she led the group through a door in the back and into a narrow corridor, and pointed to the three doors on the left. "You'll be staying in those three. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to your own sleeping arrangements."

With that, the Al Bhed receptionist bowed and returned to the front room, and Charlie, after putting her things down in the nearest room, said, "Okay, what now?"

"Do you snore?" Auron asked, setting his own things down in a nearby corner.

"Not as far as I know…why?" Suddenly, the young woman's eyes grew wide, and she stammered, "You…you aren't suggesting that I share a room with you, are you?"

"Would you rather share with Wakka?"

Charlie winced, remembering all the violent kicking the blitzer did the previous night, and said, "Fine! I'll share with you then, since I don't feel like being kicked to death in my damn sleep!"

Auron chuckled, and then turned and left the room, leaving her alone. Feeling sleepy, the young woman yawned, kicked off her shoes, and stretched out across the bed. Drowsily staring at the ceiling, she thought, _"Good grief, what is Wakka's problem? He's a nice guy, and I could deal with him being extremely religious, but this whole 'anti-Al Bhed' thing is going to drive me up the wall, I just know it! I know everyone's got their imperfections, but that's just sad! God, I hope he's not going to pout for the rest of the entire trip…or try to murder an Al Bhed…"_


	13. Nighttime

Chapter 13: Nighttime

Charlene was tired, and had fallen asleep quickly, but dozed fitfully and ended up wide-awake after a disturbing dream of Wakka pelting Rikku with rotten vegetables and car batteries. Feeling frustrated, the young woman put her shoes on and stepped outside for some fresh air. It was late afternoon, and the sun was a colossal scarlet ball hanging low in the west, turning sea and sky alike into endless stretches of rose and violet fire, and unlike Kilika's sunset, which blazed like an uncontrollable wildfire, this one burned more along the line of a cheery fireplace on a chill winter's evening. "Oh wow!" Charlie softly exclaimed, ignoring the bewildered look Wakka shot in her direction before dropping back into his sulk.

She watched the sunset a while longer, but then noticed Yuna sitting alone in the grass near the cliff. "Hey, why are you out here all by yourself?" she asked, inadvertently startling the summoner.

When Yuna regained her composure, she turned, gave Charlie a friendly smile, and then patted the grass beside her in a clear gesture of invitation. Then, she turned her attention back to the quiet sunset. "Pretty…" she sighed, probably not even realizing she spoke aloud.

"It really is," Charlie fervently agreed.

"I wish I could live in a place like this," the summoner said with longing. "Peaceful…living with a smile on my face everyday."

"_I'd probably die of boredom, myself, but ANYTHING is better than dealing with Sin."_ However, Charlie kept her opinion to herself, and replied, "You can when you beat Sin, can't you?"

Yuna nodded sadly, and said, "But then a new Sin will be born anyway."

"Yeah, but if it shows its ugly face, then you could just beat it again!"

"I wish I could."

"You can! You're the best summoner there is, I just know it!" Suddenly, the young woman realized that the subject was uncomfortable for Yuna, so she changed it. "Why does Sin keep showing up, anyway?"

"Sin is punishment for our vanity, and it will not go away until we've atoned," the summoner replied, sounding as if she were reading it from a book.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Charlie wanted to know, "What could we have possibly done that was so bad in the first place? Wait…is it the machina thing Wakka told me about? Why would using machina be so bad, anyway?"

"It's funny…" Yuna began, looking thoughtful. "Ever since I was young, I never questioned it, but now that you ask me if it is that bad or not…I don't know. I really don't know."

Suddenly, Charlie jumped to her feet and began stroking an imaginary beard in her best imitation of a highly affronted old man. "That is some dangerous thinking, young lady!" she said, her voice low and harsh despite the fact she was trying to keep from laughing. "When I was your age, we did as we were told without question, and we'd get the ol' hickory switch if we didn't mind our elders!"

Yuna laughed at that, and got to her feet. "That wasn't very nice, you know."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, when you keep looking up at the sky, you'll end up tripping over something on the ground, but if you just keep staring at the ground, you'll just end up with something falling on your head, you know?"

"Okay…" the summoner's expression was a mix of confusion and doubt.

Charlene wracked her brain, trying to come up with a better explanation. "Uh…I guess what I'm trying to say is that while thinking about other things is good, you should really just keep moving forward until you reach your goal, if that makes any kind of sense. You'll have plenty of time to worry about the future after you beat Sin, so you really shouldn't worry, Yuna."

"I guess…"

Just then, Charlie blinked, as if she just realized something, and she said, "Wait! How do you kill something as big as Sin anyway?"

"The Final Summoning," Yuna solemnly replied. "It's the only way to defeat Sin…the only way. With it, we can call the Final Aeon; that's the goal of the pilgrimage. The Fayth of the Final Summoning lies waiting in the far north, to greet summoners that complete their pilgrimage…" She stopped and performed the prayer before saying, "At the world's edge…in Zanarkand."

"Zanarkand?"_ "But I thought…"_

Before she could ask Yuna about the supposedly ruined city, Auron's voice rang out behind them. "She means the ruins of a city destroyed a thousand years ago."

As the swordsman walked over, Charlie turned back to Yuna and asked, "Are you sure that place was really destroyed?"

"That's what I've heard."

"You'll see for yourself soon enough," Auron stated, and then turned and walked away. "Yuna, come back inside."

The summoner looked at her friend and asked, "Will you go with us…to Zanarkand?"

Charlie nodded. "I'll go. Even if it's just to see these 'ruins' for myself, I'll go."

As Yuna smiled and walked back to the Travel Agency, Charlene looked up at the sky, where the first few stars of the evening glittered uncaringly down at her. _"A place that's been dead for a thousand years and a fayth for the Final Aeon… Why does that name sound so sinister?"_

…

A while later, Charlene had returned to her room and had fallen asleep again, figuring that Auron would just come in whenever he felt like it. She did not know how long she had slept, but she woke up quickly when the swordsman strode purposefully into the room and snatched the blanket off her. Half-asleep and angry, the young woman threw her pillow at his head, accompanying it with a blistering curse. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea what time it is? What if I wasn't wearing anything decent?" she hissed, keeping her voice down to avoid waking the others.

"It's around midnight, and I'm fairly sure that you wouldn't sleep naked, knowing that you're sharing this room with me," he replied after deftly dodging the pillow. "Now get up and come with me."

"Why?"

"You wanted some training didn't you?" When Charlie nodded, he continued, "Then get up and follow me."

Muttering under her breath, Charlene got to her feet and followed him outside, where he handed her one of two practice blades, which she hefted experimentally. _"What in the world is this thing made of?"_ she wondered, staring at the dull white sword. _"It's not wood, but it isn't metal or plastic, either. Whatever this stuff is, it isn't anything that I've ever seen before, that's for sure!"_

Before she could ask Auron about it, however, he picked up his own blade and said, "Attack me."

Charlie blinked. "What?"

"You heard me…or are you afraid?" His voice held more than a hint of challenge in it.

The young woman stared at him in complete disbelief, but then shook her head and said, "No."

"Excuse me?" It was his turn to blink in surprise.

"I'm not doing anything until you take that damn collar off!" Charlie stubbornly declared. "If you're going to be my sensei or whatever the hell you call them here, then I have to be able to trust you, and I don't particularly trust people who hide their faces like that."

He glared at her, but she just glared back. "The collar…Take. It. Off," she ordered, emphasizing each word."

Seeing that Charlie was not going to back down, and realizing that she did have a point, Auron finally took his collar off and set it aside. "There, are you satisfied now?" he demanded, sounding like he would throttle her if she said no.

"Yes, oh Great Master of the Sword," she mockingly replied, with an impertinent bow. _"God, he acted like it would've killed him to take that damn thing off! I don't know what he needs it for anyway…it's not like he could scare Godzilla with that face or anything!"_

Purposely ignoring her acid tone, Auron took on a fighting stance and said, "Now that that's out of the way…attack me."

…

A few minutes later, Charlie was lying on her back for what had to be the tenth time, wondering how she got there. Suddenly, the tip of Auron's practice blade poked her in the shoulder as he stood over her and said, "Guess what? You died again."

"Oh, shut up!" she spat, acknowledging her defeat.

Charlene knew from the very beginning that she had the proverbial snowball's chance in Hell of beating Auron in any kind of fight, but it was still extremely frustrating to have it proved to her again and again. The swordsman let her get to her feet, and smirked at her. "Do you wish to continue, or have you decided to give up?"

"Sadist," she muttered under her breath. "Since you're just SO superior, then why don't you show me what I'm doing wrong, instead of beating me into the ground."

He chuckled, propped his own sword against the wall of the Travel Agency, and walked over to her. "First of all, your grip is incorrect," he said, placing his hands over hers. "Your hands are too close together, and it throws the balance of the blade off when you hold it that way." He corrected her grip and let go. "See?"

Charlie swished the sword experimentally, and said, "I see what you mean. Anything else?"

Auron then gave her various pointers, mostly about defense, due to the earlier episode with the Bombs and her tendency to throw herself into the fray without thinking. _"I just hope she remembers most of this when it actually matters,"_ he thought to himself as she finished following all his advice.

"Well, are we going to continue with the torture, or are we done for the evening?" Charlie asked, bringing him back to reality.

Instead of answering, he retrieved his practice blade and turned to face her. "Try it again."

The young woman rushed him, and put all her strength in an overhand strike that he easily blocked. "You shouldn't put all your strength into any single attack unless you are completely sure of victory," he told her, barely suppressing a smirk at her fierce expression. "If you put all your force in one attack, your blade can get caught in an enemy's armor, or worse, miss them completely, especially if they're faster than you., and the recovery time you need will leave you wide open for a counterattack."

As if to emphasize his point, Auron shoved her away roughly, but to her credit, Charlie managed to stay on her feet AND get her sword up in time to block his counterstrike. "So what am I supposed to do then?" she demanded, trying not to buckle under his superior strength.

"Outsmart them," he replied, neatly kicking her feet out from under her.

Charlene landed ingloriously on her backside, and facing defeat yet again. "You cheated, you dirty bastard!" she spat, glaring up at him.

"Fiends won't play fair," Auron told her, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"_So I should fight dirty?"_ Charlie continued to glare at him until he put his sword away and turned to leave, but then she climbed to her feet and grinned. _"Well, if it's a dirty fight he wants, then that's what he'll get."_ However, Auron seemed to expect an attack, because he turned around just in time to catch her flying tackle. Unfortunately, it was also the same moment that Charlie had a klutz attack and somehow got her legs tangled with his, causing both of them to topple over like a couple of felled trees. Suddenly, the two of them were lying on the ground in an extremely awkward position, him on top of her and face-to-face. "God, get off me!" the young woman yelled, "You're squeezing my liver!"

Just then, the Travel Agency's door opened, and Wakka, looking somewhat disheveled, looked out and gaped at the two of them for a long moment, before a blush, followed by a huge grin appeared on his face. "I'll…uh…just leave you two alone, ya?"

"No, wait!" Charlie shouted, but it was too late. "Oh great! Now he thinks we were out here making out or something!"

"No one told you to try to jump me from behind!" Auron growled, rolling off her and getting to his feet.

"You were the one who said that I shouldn't play fair!"

They glared at each other for long moments, and the swordsman finally said, "Your lesson is over for today. Go get cleaned up and go to bed."

"What about you? Are you going to just stay up all night?"

Auron ignored her, so she just went back inside, where, after a quick clean-up, she returned to her room, stripped down to her halter top and overalls, and crawled in the bed. "Ehh…I just know I'm going to feel all these bruises in the morning," she groaned, shutting her eyes just as sleep claimed her.


	14. Highway Troubles

Chapter 14: Highway Troubles

Although Charlene was dead asleep, she still felt a draft seep through her blanket and she snuggled closer to the heat source lying next to her. Suddenly, as if in response to her efforts to get closer, a strange arm draped itself over her side. It was not enough to awaken her completely, but it caused her to open her eyes and look around. At first, all Charlie could see was a blur, but then her vision cleared and she realized that she was lying in bed; her forehead pressed against Auron's in what was probably good blackmail material, if anyone walked in and took a picture. Startled, the young woman shrieked and pulled away from him, rolling off the bed and hitting the floor with a loud thud. "Jesus friggin' Christ!" she swore as the swordsman sat up.

"Is there a problem?" Auron asked, staring down at her with more than a little amusement.

"Goddamn it, you scared the hell out of me!" she snapped, glaring back up at him.

"It isn't my fault that you sleep like the dead." He listened to the sounds of people milling around in the hallway, and then got out of bed. "It's time to get up anyway."

Charlene continued to scowl at him, despite the fact that he had turned his back to her. Auron was wearing the Spiran equivalent of a t-shirt, which he quickly peeled off as he reached for his armor. _"Wow, he really does look that good!"_ her mind murmured appreciatively as she got to her feet. Then, she noticed a large, shiny mark on his shoulder, almost like a burn scar. _"That looks really bad! I wonder what happened…"_

Apparently, the swordsman felt her eyes on him, because he suddenly turned around and caught her gaze as he finished fastening his armor and picked up his coat. "Why are you staring?" he demanded, his voice neutral.

Charlie flushed, trying not to squirm, and stammered, "I-I was looking at that scar on your left shoulder. What happened?"

"A foolish mistake I made a long time ago," he replied shortly.

Seeing the anger briefly flash in his eye, Charlie decided to let the subject drop and went about her own business, picking up her tiny yellow jacket and staring at it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the universe. _"Dude, don't start in on me this morning!"_ she silently pleaded. _"I didn't mean to piss you off, but I'm not in the mood to have my head bitten off, so please don't say anything!"_ The young woman let out a sigh of relief when she heard the door close, wincing slightly as some of the bruises from last night made themselves known. A faint image of the angry black wolf from her dream in Besaid ghosted in front of her eyes, and she shook her head. _"God, I'd hate to be the poor son of a bitch who manages to do more than irritate him!"_

…

A little while later, Charlene walked into the front room of the Travel Agency and looked around. When she didn't see any of the others, she figured that they were waiting for her outside, so she hurried toward the door and plowed into a man dressed in a yellow shirt and black pants as he walked in. "Byntuh sa," said the stranger, helping Charlie to her feet.

"What?" she replied, eyeing him warily. _"You know, he sort of looks like a pimp in that outfit."_

The stranger was a tall, dark-skinned man, with shoulder-length blond hair and eyes like Rikku's; green with odd spiral pupils. "Ah, forgive me, madam," he said, an unfamiliar accent coloring his voice, "I meant to say 'pardon me', but it came out in Al Bhed."

"You're an Al Bhed?" she asked. _"I thought so! His eyes are just like Rikku's!"_

"I am Rin, owner of this establishment. Hela du saad oui."

"Excuse me?" Charlie was confused.

"It means 'nice to meet you'," he explained.

"Okay…well same to you, too," she replied, not really knowing what else to say.

Rin smiled, and then walked over to the nearby bookshelf. "If you are interested in learning our language, then let me give you this, in commemoration of our meeting." He handed her a small book bound in blue leather, titled "Introduction to Al Bhed". "Once you've finished this one, you can find the next one at any of the Travel Agencies across Spira, if you like…although you might want to be careful where you speak our language."

"Yeah, some people might not take it that well," Charlie sighed, thinking about Wakka. _"God, how could a nice guy like him have such an awful character flaw?"_

"Ed ec y crysa," the Al Bhed sadly agreed.

Suddenly, a loud scream from outside caught their attention. "Somebody help the chocobos!"

Before anyone could say or do anything, Auron came back inside and said, "That's our cue, let's go."

Without waiting for a response, the swordsman turned on his heel and left again, and Charlie drew her own weapon, but before she could leave, Rin stopped her and pressed a couple of Potions into her hand. "Thank you for your help. Please, use these," he told her.

The young woman nodded, pocketing the vials, and said, "Don't worry; we'll take care of that monster!" _"I hope…"_

She rushed out the door and spotted Lulu, who pointed to the fenced-in enclosure and shouted, "To the chocobo corral!"

The group tried to push their way past the panicked birds, but to no avail. Suddenly, a loud roar bellowed out from overhead, and they all looked up and saw the chocobo eating fiend standing on the roof of the Travel Agency. It was rusty brown and gray, with short legs, absurdly long arms, and a body mostly comprised of a giant, fang-filled maw. The weird-looking beast roared again, further terrifying the chocobo it held captive in one monstrous hand, and jumped off its perch, landing heavily enough to shake the ground. The chocobo squirmed and struggled, trying to get free, but finally managed to do so after biting its captor's finger. The monster screamed again, this time in pain and rage, and then turned its attention to its would-be attackers, eyes narrowing in anger. "Oh boy, it looks pissed!" Charlie said, watching it carefully.

The fiend roared once more, and the fight began. Wakka and Lulu, having long-range attacks, distracted the creature while Auron, Kimahri, and Charlie closed in and struck at it from various points in the hopes of keeping it off-balance. Their efforts paid off, and the would-be predator fell over on its back, completely helpless against their attacks…or so they thought. When Wakka struck the prone monster with his blitzball, it waved its arms wildly and a great burst of ice exploded in the air, knocking everyone back and giving it enough time to get to its feet and renew its assault on the party. "Damn it! Why won't this thing die?" Charlie yelled, barely evading the massive fist that tried to smash her into the ground.

Then the fiend dropped to the ground, as if it were finally succumbing to the numerous wounds all over its body, and lay there, not doing anything. Charlene stared at it confusedly, wondering what triggered the sudden collapse. "Uh…what just happened here?" she asked, edging closer as everyone else continued to watch it warily. _"One minute it's trying like hell to kill us and the next it just falls over?"_

Suddenly, as if it found a second wind, the creature staggered to its feet again, bellowed in fury, and backhanded Charlie across the clearing. The young woman sailed several yards, and then landed heavily in the grass near the ravine while her sword fell over it. Dazed and unarmed, all Charlie could do was shut her eyes as the enraged monster barreled down on her. _"Oh shit! I am SO screwed! Some help I turned out to be…"_

Charlene's eyes snapped open when she heard a sickening crunch, followed by an ear-shattering scream of agony, and she almost couldn't believe what she saw. Auron, of all people, stood between her and the wildly thrashing fiend, dark blood dripping off his sword. She struggled to get to her feet, but just as she succeeded, the ravening monster exploded in a burst of pyreflies and force, blowing both her and her rescuer over the edge of the cliff. The two of them plummeted toward the ground, branches and other such plant life slowing their descent, but not enough to stop them. Charlie saw the ground rushing up to meet her with dizzying speed, and then her world exploded in a burst of red light and intense pain that gradually faded to black emptiness.

…_Flash…_

Charlie and Marcus waited for the light to change, the motor of his old Buick idling quietly. "This stupid light always takes forever to change! Sometimes I think it does it on purpose!" Charlie complained, glaring at it accusingly.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Marcus replied with a laugh. Then, he turned to her, an oddly nervous look in his gray eyes, and said, "Charlie…I…there's something I've been meaning to ask you, and…" Just then, the light turned green, and he shook his head and said, "Never mind, I'll ask you later."

Suddenly, as their old car was crossing the intersection, a blue Eclipse appeared out of nowhere, completely ignoring the red light, and smashed into them from their left. After the sounds of shattering glass and tortured metal faded, Charlie struggled to stay conscious, but the pain was overwhelming and the darkness quickly claimed her. _"Marcus? Oh God, Marcus! Somebody help!"_

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke to more pain, but welcomed it, as it meant she was still alive. She opened her eyes, bemusedly staring at the greenery around her for a brief moment before remembered where she was and noticed the slightly battered Auron staring down at her. "Welcome back," he said as she struggled to sit up.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, gingerly putting her head in her hands.

"About an hour. How are you feeling?"

"Like someone beat me with a brick stick, but other than that, I'm just fine. I take it you used some Potions on me?"

Auron nodded, "You'd have probably been out of it until nightfall if I hadn't."

The young woman looked at all her partially healed cuts, bruises, and abrasions, and then back at him, eyes narrowed in accusation. "I've got a question: why do I look like hell, while you look relatively okay?"

"I managed to catch myself about halfway down, and then I just climbed down the rest of the way," he explained.

Charlie looked around suddenly, as a familiar twinge worked its way through her protesting injuries, and struggled to her feet. She only managed to take a single step, however, when a sharp pain shot up her leg. "Damn it all to hell!" she hissed, sitting back down and glaring at her throbbing left ankle.

"Are you okay?" Auron asked.

"Yeah," she replied, getting up again and shifting her weight to her good foot. "I probably just need to walk it off, that's all."

The swordsman gave her a penetrating look, but she ignored it and limped off in the direction of the mysterious pull. The feeling led her to the far end of the clearing, where she found a decrepit wooden chest nestled in the bushes, along with her missing sword. "Charlie, what are you doing?" Auron demanded, stalking up to her.

"Look!" she exclaimed, turning around and showing him the contents of the box.

It was a flat iron disc, engraved with tiny swords pointing toward a hole in the center. Inscribed on the outer edge of the mysterious object was the word "Ma'adim". Somehow, it seemed strangely familiar to Auron, but he didn't know why. "What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that I get these strange pulling sensations whenever one's around. So far, this is the third one I've come across, and they all look like they're missing a piece." Charlie stared at the odd look in his eye. "Auron, did you want this one?"

"You keep it for now." He turned around and started to walk away. "We need to get going if we want to catch up with the others."

…

Later that evening, the two of them finally stopped for the night in the narrow confines of the road at the bottom of the ravine. "God, I'm glad I didn't leave ALL my stuff up there!" Charlie sighed, propping against the cool stone of the cliff face after they started a small fire.

"Take your shoe off and let me take a look at that ankle," Auron ordered, giving her a look that she had no trouble interpreting. _"Either take it off willingly, or have it removed by force."_

Charlene flinched slightly, but did as she was told, grinding her teeth to keep from whimpering in pain. After a brief, but thorough, inspection, the swordsman released her leg and said, "I don't think it's broken, but you shouldn't have walked on it."

"Well, what the hell was I supposed to do, just let you leave me behind?" she snapped. "We don't have any Potions left and it's not like I can just sprout wings and fly, or hover six inches off the ground!" Then she looked away, closed her eyes, and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't take it out on you."

Auron just stared at her, not saying anything, and she continued, "I know I wasn't supposed to be here…hell, I'm surprised I've even made it as far as I have…" _"God, he probably thinks I'm the most useless thing in existence! Why did he even bother saving me? All I've done is cause more trouble…he wouldn't even be down here if he hadn't saved me!"_

Charlie felt tears prick her eyes, and she quickly scrubbed them away. _"Oh no, you don't! Don't you dare start crying! Auron's already stuck with you as it is…he doesn't need to deal with your useless blubbering!"_ Finally, she managed to get her emotions under control and said, "Anyway, thank you for saving me earlier. Hopefully, you'll never have to do that again." _"No, he won't do that again! I need to stand on my own two feet and stop relying on others all the damn time! I may be useless, but I WILL NOT let myself become a burden!"_ Finally, she snapped out of her dark musings and looked Auron. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Back in Luca, when you asked Yuna if she refused your services…what would you have done if she said yes? Would you have followed her?"

Auron stared at her, but didn't say anything. _"Is she trying to be funny?"_ "Actually, I hadn't thought about it," he began after a few minutes, "But now that you mention it…yes, I would have."

"I thought so," she yawned.

"Anyway, you should try to get some sleep," he told her. Before she could make any sort of protest, he added, "Don't worry, I'll wake you up in a few hours."

Charlene was too exhausted to argue, so she leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes. She slept fitfully, waking every few minutes due to the throbbing in her ankle, and felt like grim death when Auron finally woke her again. "What time is it?" she asked, blearily rubbing her eyes.

The swordsman looked up at what bit of the sky that remained visible at the bottom of the ravine and said, "About a couple hours until dawn."

"What? You can't run on just two hours of sleep!"

"I…don't require as much sleep as I used to," he evasively replied.

"All right," Charlie sighed when no further explanation was forthcoming. "Just don't come crying to me later when you're completely burnt out."

Auron snickered at that, but didn't say anything else, so she turned her attention to the darkness outside the circle of their slowly dying campfire. _"Please let the rest of this night pass in peace!" _she silently prayed.

Fortunately, whatever force might have been listening took pity on her, because no fiends attacked by the time the gray light of dawn descended on the camp. "Auron?" Charlie whispered, scooting toward him and touching his shoulder. "Auron, it's time to get up."

Auron's eye snapped open as he pulled a dagger out of his boot, and laid it against her throat, quick as a striking snake. "Don't sneak around like that," he told her, returning the blade to its hiding place. "I almost mistook you for a fiend."

Charlie swallowed hard, and nodded mutely, backing away as got to his feet and kicked dirt over the smoldering remains of their fire. _"Good God, that was close! Next time, I'd probably better make more noise, or I might end up dead."_

Due to their circumstances, the two of them managed to break camp rather quickly, and after Charlie hobbled to her feet, she said, "All right, let's go."

The swordsman stared at her, his expression impassive. "You're not walking on that ankle," he told her.

"We don't have a choice, Auron!" she cried with exasperation. "We can't stay here, and you can't carry me, or we'll both be vulnerable to attack! I managed to walk yesterday and I can do it again today."

Seeing her stubborn expression, Auron shook his head and sighed, "As you wish."

…

A while later, Auron and Charlie arrived in an open field filled with Chocobo Knights training on and around the ruins of what appeared to be an old house. "What are you doing all the way down here?" Lucil demanded when she spotted the two of them.

As Auron explained their situation, another group of chocobos entered the field and the captain went back to overseeing her troops. "Hey, you guys made it!" Charlie shouted, waving at Yuna and the others as they approached.

"Charlie! Sir Auron!" Yuna cried, sliding off her chocobo and running toward them. "Are you two all right?"

"We ended up using all our Potions, but we're pretty much okay, save for my ankle. Somehow, I twisted it in the fall and it hurts like bloody hell."

Yuna, without pausing, knelt down in the grass. "Sit down," she ordered, sounding a lot like Auron.

"Yes, ma'am!" _"She'll probably bonk me over the head with her staff if I don't listen."_

Charlie sat down as the summoner picked up her foot and stared at it, a strangely unfocused look in her eyes. "No, it's not broken, but you definitely shouldn't have walked on it!" Yuna scolded, casting a Cure spell. "I'm sure Sir Auron would have carried you, or at least let you lean on him."

"I didn't want to be a bother," the young woman replied.

"I dunno…you two seemed pretty close the other night," Wakka grinned.

"Really?" Yuna looked at Charlie, full of curiosity.

"It wasn't what you though it was, Wakka!" the young woman yelled, her face turning a lush crimson. "We were just practicing sword fighting, that's all!" _"I don't like Auron, no matter how good looking he is! He's arrogant and rude…and he just irritates the living hell out of me!"_

Wakka just continued to grin, while Yuna giggled and Lulu cocked an eyebrow. Kimahri, on the other hand, ignored everyone in his effort to keep his dignity and remain seated on his rather unhappy looking chocobo. Finally, Auron snickered at Charlie's scandalized expression and said, "You act like it was horrible."

"WHAT? We both tripped and you fell on me, you…WEIRDO!"

The swordsman ignored her, and mounted one of the rider-less chocobos the others had brought with them. "Let's go."

Some time later, the six of them, all riding the chocobos Rin had loaned them, arrived at the checkpoint at the end of the Highroad. Charlie had some trouble with riding one of the large yellow birds at first, but somehow managed to get the hang of it quickly. At the end of the road however, the round-faced Chocobo Knight they had met a few days ago stopped them and said, "I'm sorry but you have to leave your chocobos here."

They gathered their supplies and left the birds with a nearby Al Bhed woman just as Dona and Barthello sauntered into the area. The snobbish summoner and her guardian tried to go past the gate, but a Crusader stopped them. "I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't let you pass," he said.

"But I'm a summoner!" she protested, her dark eyes flashing angrily. "I have to pass through to reach the next temple, you fool!"

"Sorry ma'am, no exceptions," the guard stubbornly replied.

"You dare to impede a summoner's pilgrimage?" she demanded.

"No exceptions!" he repeated.

"Useless!" Dona spat, before storming off to the side of the road, Barthello at her heel like a faithful puppy.

Just then, the chocobo caravan accompanied by Luzzu and Gatta arrived, the wagon shaking violently as its contents hissed and growled. The Crusader at the gate met them, and they saluted him in response. "Gatta and Luzzu reporting, sir!" the dark-haired boy announced, sounding quite official.

"This should be the last of them," Luzzu said, patting the side of the still-shaking wagon.

The gate guard inspected the caravan, and once he made sure everything was in order, nodded and allowed them to pass. "Good to have you with us."

As their wagon rolled past the checkpoint, Luzzu turned to Wakka and said, "Wait around. We'll have Sin beaten in no time!"

Once the two Crusaders left, the blitzer sadly bowed his head and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Wondering what was going on, Charlie walked up to the guard and asked, "What in the world are you guys doing out here?"

The Crusader gaped in disbelief. "What, they didn't tell you?" When she shook her head, he continued, "We're bringing Sinspawn here from all over Spira. Sinspawn inevitably draw Sin, so we're going to use them to lure it into a trap! We're calling this mission 'Operation Mi'ihen', and it's an Al Bhed/Crusader joint mission. We Crusaders are going to lure Sin in, and the Al Bhed are going to strike it down. They hate Sin as much as we do, you see, and they've managed to salvage some ancient machina as powerful as the mighty aeons! You already know that machina are forbidden by Yevon…uh, on second thought, let's not go there." The soldier shifted uncomfortably. "All the Crusaders taking part in Operation Mi'ihen have been excommunicated. My own family won't even talk to me now! We have to beat Sin…otherwise, there's nowhere else for us to go."

Charlie walked back to the others, her thoughts tumbling over each other like a waterfall. _"They're going to fight Sin with machina? How? I'm pretty sure a machina as powerful as an aeon would have to be as strong as a nuclear bomb, at the very least! There's no way they could survive a strike like that!"_ She stared at Yuna, and asked, "Did you hear all that?"

Before the summoner could respond, the sound of footsteps caught their attention, and everyone turned around in time to see Seymour arrive, along what could only be a pair of Guado lackeys. _"Oh God, not him again!"_ Charlie thought, barely suppressing a shudder. The maester bowed to Yuna, performing the prayer, and she copied his gesture. "So we meet again, Lady Yuna," Seymour said, his voice oozing enough sweetness to gag a chocobo.

"Y-yes?" she stammered, clearly in awe of him.

"You look troubled," he said, feigning concern, "Is there anything I can do?"

Yuna looked at the gate, and then gave him a helpless look. "I see," Seymour said, striding over to the guard.

"Maester Seymour, let me show you to the command center," the guard said, saluting the Guado.

"Hold, I have a request," he replied, raising a long-fingered hand to silence the soldier.

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"I need to have Summoner Yuna and her guardians let through to the command center."

"But Maester Seymour, sir!" the Crusader protested.

"Do not worry, I will take full responsibility," the Guado said.

The guard, his fears allayed, nodded and stepped aside. "Very well, they may pass."

Satisfied, Seymour turned to Yuna and said, "It is done."

"Thank you, Your Grace," she replied, bowing deeply as he walked away.

Once he and his flunkies disappeared from view, Lulu smiled and said, "Yuna, it's time to go."

"Right!"

The party walked past the gate, earning a sour look from Dona, and Charlie, who was extremely happy that Seymour didn't even glance at her, said, "Boy, he's sure all high-and-mighty, isn't he?"

"He's a maester," Wakka told her, "Better get used to it, ya?"

"_I don't want to get used to it! I'd rather stay as far away from him as humanly possible!"_

…

Mushroom Rock Road was a wide dirt trail; walled by the ocean on one side, and a cliff of oddly shaped red rocks on the other. The sky was ashen and the wind carried a hint of a storm on its wings, making for some eerie and rather depressing scenery. The sudden change in weather had very little effect on the Crusaders, however, as they continued their preparations with much enthusiasm. "All hail Maester Seymour!" one guard shouted, drawing the attention of all the soldiers.

The Guado raised his hands and, in a loud, oratory voice, said, "Brave Crusaders of Spira, protectors of Spira, believe in the path you have chosen! Let faith be your strength! I, Seymour Guado, maester of Yevon, will bear witness to your deeds today!"

"Sir!" shouted all the Crusaders as they saluted in unison.

Wakka witnessed Seymour's little speech with shock and dismay. "What's goin' on?" he cried. "Why's Maester Seymour backing the Crusaders, eh? They're using the Al Bhed's machina! They're violating the teachings!"

"_Damn it, Wakka, just shut up about the teachings already! I'm tired of hearing you badmouth people for not thinking the way you do, so just stop already!"_ Charlie wanted to scream it aloud, but decided against it in the end. _"Whatever…I don't feel like fighting right now, and I don't need to have everyone here pissed off at me for 'heresy', anyway."_

"Even going against the teachings, they're willing to risk it for the greater good," Yuna replied. "Wakka, I think Maester Seymour sees that, too."

"Lulu?" the blitzer asked, looking at the black mage.

"Hmm…I can only speculate," she replied, ruby eyes thoughtful.

"Ask him yourself," Auron said.

As if on cue, Seymour strutted up to them, a slight smile on his face, and stared first at Yuna, then at Auron. While his attention was on the others, Charlie slowly backed away, until the wall halted her progress, praying, _"Please don't look over here! I'm invisible, I'm forgettable, and you DO NOT want to look at me!"_

"Ah, Sir Auron," Seymour exclaimed, looking pleased, "It is an honor. I would be most interested in hearing what you've been doing these past ten years."

"I've got nothing to say about it," Auron coldly replied, stalking away.

"I…see." For the briefest of instants, Seymour looked angry, but his expression quickly changed to a more pleasant one as he turned his attention back to Yuna. "Sir Auron must be a great asset as a guardian."

"Your Grace!" she gasped.

"Please, there's no need for formalities."

Just then, Wakka cleared his throat, and after much squirming and toe scuffing, said, "Excuse me…Maester Seymour? Why is your Lordship…presently…present here, sir?"

"_Way to go, Shakespeare!"_ Charlie held back her laughter.

"Please, speak as you normally would," Seymour replied, looking slightly pained at Wakka's mangled speech.

"Isn't this operation against the teachings of Yevon? Aren't you gonna stop them?"

"It's true…I should, however…" Here, the maester drew himself up into an "important" pose. "Both the Crusaders and the Al Bhed truly wish peace for Spira, and this Operation Mi'ihen was born from that wish they share. Although it may be sacrilege to Yevon, their intentions are pure, and I, Seymour Guado…the person, not the maester of Yevon, as a denizen of Spira, wish them well in their endeavor."

Wakka, confused, scratched his head and asked, "But using machina…that's bad, isn't it?"

"Pretend you didn't see them," Seymour replied.

Yuna, Lulu, and most especially Wakka gasped, appalled at the Guado's answer. "Beg your pardon, but that's not something a maester should say!" the blitzer cried.

"Then pretend I didn't say it."

The maester started to walk away, but then he noticed Charlie standing next to the wall. _"No, don't come over here! Go away!"_ Unfortunately, her luck had left her for the moment, because Seymour stopped and stared at her, his cold eyes burning into her just as they had on the dock in Luca. "What are you doing all the way over there?" he asked, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

"_Trying to avoid you, you creepy son of a bitch!"_ Charlie wracked her brain for a response that wouldn't get Yuna in trouble, and finally said, "I'm a stranger here, so the conversation had no meaning to me…Your Grace." She nearly gagged on those last words.

"Ah, yes, I've heard about you. You claim to come from another world, much like Sir Jecht, or so I am told."

For some strange reason, Charlie, despite her fear, felt an odd compulsion to abandon her hiding place, and she quickly rejoined the group in spite of herself. The maester continued to stare at her, and a cold, sickly feeling wave passed over her, as if she had fallen into a pit full of slugs and other slimy creatures. _"Stop it! Stop it! If he touches me, I swear to God that I'll either throw up or scream! Maybe both!"_

"I would like to hear more about this…otherworld you come from, but I'm afraid that now is not the time."

With that, Seymour turned and finally left and Charlene desperately wanted a bath. She hid her revulsion, however, and followed her friends as they continued up the road. _"What the hell was that? Jesus Christ, he scares me more than anyone else I've ever met! To make matters worse, everyone else actually LIKES him! Well…except Auron, and maybe Kimahri. There is something really twisted about him, and the way he looks at me makes my skin crawl! Maybe he thinks that I'm as twisted as he is? Oh God, I hope not…"_


	15. Prelude

Chapter 15: Prelude

Charlie and the others traveled further up Mushroom Rock Road, watching small groups of Crusaders finish their preparations in stony-faced silence. Wakka was quite visibly upset, but to his credit, did not say anything else about violations of the teachings of Yevon. Finally, they reached a fork in the path; one branch continued alongside the ocean, while the other reached through the rock wall and turned northward. Before Charlie could ask which way they should go, the Chocobo Knight in green rushed up to them. "Excuse me, Lady Summoner Yuna?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"The command center…Maester Seymour requests your presence there, ma'am."

"Thank you."

The young knight pointed in the direction of the path beyond the rock wall. "Take that road to get to the command center. It's not very far."

"What's down the other road?" Charlie wanted to know.

"I'm sorry, but we're still making preparations this way."

"Oh…"

The group followed the young man's directions and headed off up the path and into the entrance of a winding canyon road, hemmed in on all sides by more of the strange, curving rock outcroppings. The road didn't go very far, however, before coming to a dead end at an overhang impossible to scale by any normal means. "Hey, this is a dead end!" Charlie said, glaring at the cliff as if it had impeded their progress on purpose.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet shifted, and the young woman realized that she was standing in the middle of a stone circle that was slowly rising into the air. "Hey! What the hell just happened?" she shouted when the platform finally came to a stop at the top of the overhang.

"That's one of the platforms that we'll use to get where we're going, ya?" Wakka explained. "Now send it back down so the rest of us can get up there."

A few minutes and several platform trips later, the rest of the party made it to the top of the cliff, and continued their trek up the road. Along the way, they spotted several Chocobo Knights, including Lucil and Elma, all involved in what appeared to be last-minute training exercises. "They look really determined," Charlie commented as they passed a young man practicing mounted fighting with his chocobo. "Lulu, do you think they can win?"

"It's hard to say," the black mage thoughtfully replied. "Part of me says no, but the other part really hopes so."

"Discuss it later," Auron said, drawing his sword as several fiends entered the vicinity. "We've got company."

Their attackers consisted of several large, mottled lizards and a new type of Elemental of a fiery red color. Without hesitation, two of the lizards launched themselves at the group, fangs bared, but Charlie managed to knock one back, while Kimahri dealt with the other one. The one Charlie knocked down got to its feet again, relatively unscathed, but did not attack again, choosing instead to run away. The young woman watched the lizard's retreat, confused at its sudden change of heart. _"Why the hell is it running? It can't possibly think that I'd chase after it, can it? Maybe it got scared and decided to run away…WHOA!"_

Despite the apparent desertion by one of their kin, the other three lizards entered the fray, two of them rushing at Lulu, who was engaged in battle against the red Elemental, while the other one launched itself at Auron. Charlene turned to help the mage, who didn't realize the danger she was in, and managed to kill one the lizards before it could reach her, but was unable to get to the other one. "Lulu, watch out!" she screamed.

As the black mage, who had just destroyed the Elemental, turned to face her new assailant, a blitzball sailed past her head and struck the attacking reptile in the gut, knocking it to the ground short of its goal. Wakka quickly retrieved his weapon and smashed the lizard again, this time breaking its neck and killing it. At the same time, Kimahri and Auron finished off the last two lizards, and ended the battle. "Is everyone okay?" Charlie asked, cleaning the blood off her sword.

Before anyone could answer, a piercing shriek rang out overhead, and everyone looked up just in time to see the lizard that had run away earlier leap off the top of the wall and straight at Yuna. Suddenly, a javelin caught the fiend in the side, knocking it off its flight path. Enraged, the reptile got to its feet and hissed in agony as another javelin joined the first. Finally, the creature keeled over and collapsed into a cloud of pyreflies. As it faded away, a young woman in a Crusader uniform trotted up and retrieved the weapons. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Yuna replied with a bow.

"It was nothing, my lady. We've cleared out a lot of the fiends around here, but we haven't gotten them all, as you already noticed. If you're heading to the command center, please be careful."

"We will."

…

The rest of their journey continued in relative peace, and the group arrived at what looked like a large elevator. Gatta and Luzzu stood nearby, and they appeared to be arguing about something. "Why only you, sir?" Gatta demanded. "I want to fight, too!"

"Orders are orders," Luzzu replied.

"I'm not a cadet anymore, sir! Let me go with you, and I'll prove it to them!"

"Guarding the command center is important too, you know."

"But I came all the way from Besaid to fight Sin, sir!"

"I know, but an order's an order. To your post, Crusader."

"But, sir!"

Finally, Gatta growled in frustration and ran off, and Luzzu performed the prayer. Then, when he saw the gang, he said, "They let you through, huh?"

"Poor Gatta," Charlie said, feeling some pity for the young Crusader. "He must be really disappointed." _"He didn't have to be such a whiner about it, though!"_

"At least there's no chance he'll get hurt," Wakka said. "Why are you guys fighting anyway? Aren't the almighty Al Bhed machina enough?"

"_Wow, I didn't think Wakka knew how to be sarcastic!"_

"They still need some time to get them ready," Luzzu explained. "Our job is to keep Sin at bay until they're done."

Wakka turned his back to the Crusader, fuming in silence. "Wakka…" Luzzu began uncertainly, "I might not get another chance to say this. It's about your brother."

"Luzzu, no!" Lulu shouted, her expression horrified.

"What?" Wakka demanded, warily eyeing the two of them.

"I'm the one who convinced him…to enlist," Luzzu solemnly replied. "I'm sorry."

Charlene stared at the three of them, her jaw hanging open like an idiot. _"Holy hell! This is like a goddamn soap opera!"_

Lulu hung her head in sorrow, as Wakka stared blankly at Luzzu. Suddenly, his face twisted in rage and he punched the Crusader in the jaw! Stunned, Luzzu dropped to the ground like a shot deer, and Wakka advanced on him, clearly not finished with the fight. Charlie quickly interposed herself between the two of them, throwing her arms around the blitzer's torso and digging her heels into the ground in an attempt to hold him back. "Wakka! Wakka, stop it, please!" she shouted as he struggled to shove her aside.

Finally, he stopped fighting to get past her, so she let him go. Luzzu was still lying on the ground and Wakka glowered down at him, still angry, but no longer fighting mad. "When we used to play blitz together, Chappu used to say that…when we won the Cup, ya?…he'd propose to Lulu. And then one day…he goes off and becomes a Crusader, just like that."

Luzzu slowly got to his feet, gingerly touching his jaw, and said, "Chappu also said to me…being with your girl is good, but keeping Sin far away from her is better."

Wakka turned to Lulu and stared at her. "Lu…you knew?"

"Luzzu told me before we left," she sadly replied.

"_She_ hit me too," the Crusader added wryly.

Just then, Lucil rode up and said, "All Crusaders in the vanguard are to assemble on the beach."

As she rode away, Luzzu turned to follow her. "That's my cue," he said.

"Luzzu! Don't die out there," Wakka called after him.

"So you can hit me more?" Luzzu asked, turning around.

"Lots! Lots more!" he agreed, raising a fist in the air.

The Crusader stared at him for a moment, smiling faintly, and then turned away again. Yuna gasped and ran after him, stepping in front of him and halting his progress. "Sir Luzzu, please! Please don't go!" she begged.

"I have to, Yuna."

"Let him go," Auron said. "The man has already chosen his path…as you did when you became a summoner."

Yuna's gaze shifted between the two men for a moment, but she finally stepped aside to let the Crusader pass. Charlie watched his retreat with an obscure kind of sorrow, thinking, _"Poor man…it must have hurt a lot to see Wakka and Lulu every day, knowing that he was responsible for the death of someone they both loved, and yet keep that to himself. I know that kind of pain all too well…and it never stops hurting."_ Then, she noticed Auron staring at her, a speculative look in his eye, as if he was trying to see through her. "Can you be helped?" she rudely asked, irritated by his staring. "Would you like me to poke out your eye? Maybe if I got rid of it for you, you'd stop trying to burn a hole through me!"

Auron chuckled at her and walked off, shaking his head. "I'm glad you think I'm so amusing!" she said acidly, following him onto the nearby elevator. _"Ooh, he makes me so mad!"_

"_You like him,"_ said the sly voice.

"_Shut up! Even if I did like him…not that I do, mind you…but even if I did, that doesn't give him the right to stare at me like I was some kind of fascinating bug or something!"_

…

After the elevator came to a shaky stop at the top of the cliff, the party disembarked and headed for the command center. Along the way, they ran across several Crusaders in the final stages of setting up several cannons along the cliff. Wakka, still angry, walked up to one and yelled, "Curse these!"

Then the blitzer kicked the cannon, which wasn't a particularly wise move, considering he wore sandals. _"Smooth move, Einstein!"_ Charlie thought, as Wakka hopped up and down, swearing profusely under his breath. "Wakka really hates those things, doesn't he?"

"Chappu left the sword Wakka gave him in Besaid, and fought with a machina weapon instead," Lulu replied.

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Wakka shouted. "I just hate these sacrilegious contraptions!"

The group continued past the cannons, and found a group of Crusaders and Chocobo Knights surrounding Gatta and Luzzu's wagon. _"How the hell did they get that all the way up here?"_ Charlie wondered. As the young woman watched, two of the Crusaders opened the door to the carriage, and an odd fiend that looked like a huge red millipede slithered out and, with much prodding from its captors, crawled into a huge cage full of other types of fiends. Wakka watched all of this with disgust and spat, "It won't work anyway!"

"Don't say that!" Yuna chided, clearly upset by her guardian's attitude. "It might be a hopeless campaign, and it might mean defying Yevon, but the Crusaders and the Al Bhed…they're doing their best to defeat Sin. They want to rid Spira of Sin forever, and that's what we want, too, isn't it?" She turned to stare up at Wakka. "Isn't it?"

"All right, all right!" Wakka surrendered, unable to withstand those sad, two-colored eyes. "But I still think machina are bad news! They're forbidden for a reason, you know!"

"Lady Summoner, there you are!" Everyone turned around as Lucil walked up, relief clear in her expression. "The command center is just ahead, and Maester Kinoc is also there."

"Maester Kinoc, too?" Yuna was surprised.

"Yes. Please hurry, my lady."

The command center was a section of the cliff top cordoned off from the rest by a makeshift wall of curtains. Guarding the entrance to the command center was a very dejected-looking Gatta. "The operation will begin shortly, so please check all your equipment," he said, with all the enthusiasm of a misogynist at a female empowerment convention.

"Um…you all right?" Wakka asked, looking quite worried.

"Of course not!" the boy shouted. "I came here to fight Sin, but they stuck me here!"

"If you want to prove yourself, you must first complete the tasks you are given," Auron said.

"Hey, you actually sounded like you know what you're talking about!" Charlie said, surprised at the swordsman's sudden flood of advice.

"I wasn't always a guardian," he replied, walking past the checkpoint.

The rest of the group followed him, save for Charlene, who stared at Gatta for a moment before joining them. As she passed, the young Crusader muttered something under his breath that sounded a great deal like "I've got to show Luzzu what I can do!"

"_Gatta, you're young, but please don't be stupid as well! You'll have plenty of other chances to prove yourself later. I think I better tell someone to keep an eye on him…"_ Just then, she spotted Seymour, along with a portly man in orange and white robes, and all thoughts about Gatta quickly flew out of her head._ "Aw, damn! Not him again! Oh look, he brought a friend, too!"_

The fat man hopped out of his seat, rushed up to Auron, and enthusiastically glomped him. For the briefest of instants, Auron looked like he wished the ground would open up and swallow him, but then Pudgy let go, and said, "I'd heard from Seymour, but I didn't know if we'd actually meet. Good to see you, Auron! Ten years, is it?"

"Uh…Lulu? Who the hell is that?" Charlie asked, as the rotund stranger laughed heartily.

"That's Wen Kinoc, one of the Four Maesters of Yevon," the mage explained. "He leads the warrior monks and is also commander of the Crusaders."

"Really?" _"That fat bastard looks like the only thing he'd lead is the race to the nearest donut shop! Why is it that every single one of the maesters I've seen so far has managed to give me the creeps in one way or another?"_

Suddenly, Gatta ran in and saluted Kinoc. "All troops ready to move at your command, sir!" he announced.

"Good. Dismissed."

The boy ran off again, probably on some errand, and Charlie found a dark corner to sit in while the rest of the group split up. If Seymour noticed Charlene at all during their entrance, he was doing a great job of ignoring her, which suited her just fine. "Tell me, Auron…where have you been these past ten years?" Kinoc asked, drawing the young woman's attention.

"_Why does he care? Was he an old friend of Auron's? An old boyfriend?"_ Charlie snorted at that last thought. _"I seriously doubt that! Anyway, why should I care? It's none of MY business, that's for sure!"_

"We don't have time for this now, do we?" Auron replied, sounding slightly aggravated.

"This plan won't work, you know that," the maester said, looking sly. "We'll just let them dream a little longer."

"WHAT?" Charlie shrieked, leaping to her feet and drawing the stares of everyone around her.

"Lord Kinoc…" Seymour interrupted, giving the fat man a meaningful, yet irritated look that clearly said, _"You've said too much, you fool!"_

"Oh, yes," Kinoc replied, flustered. "Proceed."

He walked away absentmindedly, and Auron growled, "That Kinoc, a maester?"

"I heard that, Auron," the chubby man said, turning back around. "A lot has happened in the last ten years. What were you doing, and where?"

"_Probably a lot more than you, jackass!"_ Charlie thought, seething with anger.

"Fulfilling a promise to a friend," the swordsman curtly replied. "I still am."

"Just tell me one thing: have you seen Zanarkand?"

Auron made some kind of intelligible noise under his breath and pushed past the maester. Charlie had opened her mouth to make a very loud and vulgar comment about Kinoc, but Auron reached her first, grabbed her by one arm, and dragged her off, beyond the curtain-wall of the command center. "I want to talk to you. Now," he said, continuing to drag her.

He led her to a secluded corner of the road just outside the checkpoint and away from prying ears, providing they kept their voices modulated. Once there, he let go of Charlie, but advanced on her in such a manner that she backed up until she was against the wall. "I know what you were about to do in there," he said, biting off the words as he spoke, but keeping his voice low.

"But I…"

Auron clapped his left hand over her mouth, but then she licked it, so he withdrew it with a slight shudder and put the right one over it instead. "No talking!" he barked. "Just be quiet and listen to me. You may not like what you heard in there, but you WILL keep your mouth shut about it, do you understand me?"

She nodded and he let go. "But that sick fu…"

He put his hand over her mouth again. "I know, and believe me, I don't like it any more than you, but the only thing you would have accomplished in there is to get yourself in trouble…and I wouldn't have been able to save you!" From what he saw the previous night, Charlie didn't like the fact that someone had saved her. She was truly grateful, but still didn't like it one bit, so the mention of him saving her again cooled her temper faster than anything else he could have thought of, save knocking her out. He pulled his hand away, and this time, she kept her mouth closed. "Kinoc had, and probably still has, a violent temper, and I don't want to see anyone on the wrong end of it."

The young woman nodded in silent assent. _"Good job! You nearly screwed up again!"_ Suddenly, the image of Gatta and Luzzu lying dead popped up in her head, and she bit her lip and shut her eyes to keep the tears at bay. When Charlene opened her eyes again, Auron was still standing there, watching her carefully in case she had another flare-up. "Hey, I'm okay now," she said, cracking a smile, "So, if you don't mind, could you back up some, before Wakka comes out here and has more naughty thoughts about us."

The swordsman snorted with amusement, but backed away. "Go and talk to Yuna for a while…and remember what I said. If I have to drag you out here again, I'm going to knock you out until the operation is over."

His look was completely serious, and she flinched slightly, but said, "I heard you, Chief. Don't worry, I'll behave myself." _"Good Lord, that man's trying so hard to NOT care that he gives himself away!"_

Auron watched her go back beyond the curtain-wall and sighed. _"The little fool's going to get herself killed! This would have been so much simpler if the boy had lived."_

…

Charlie walked back into the command center, and noticed that everyone was staring at her as if she had just descended from space. "Uh…Auron just remembered something he forgot to mention to me earlier," she lied as he reentered the area.

"Oh?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah!"

"What was so important that Sir Auron had to take you outside to tell you, instead of mentioning it here?" Wakka wanted to know, giving Charlie a knowing look.

"He gave me his confession of undying love and told me that he wanted to bear my children!" the young woman finally snapped, irritated with everyone's assumptions that she and Auron were sneaking around like a couple of teenagers. _"Okay, I AM a teenager, but that ain't the point!"_

Wakka gaped at her, clearly confused for a moment, but then he said, "Wait…that isn't right, ya?"

"Charlie was being sarcastic, Wakka," Lulu sighed. "Just leave her alone for now. We have more important things to worry about anyway."

Charlene found Yuna standing with Kimahri off in the far corner, and hurried over to her, thankful that Kinoc and Seymour were immersed in their sinister plans and not paying any attention to her. The summoner turned around at her approach, clearly nervous about the upcoming battle. "I…get the feeling that we don't belong here," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Don't worry," Charlie replied, patting her shoulder in reassurance, "I feel the same way." _"Girl, you don't even know the half of it! We don't belong here because we don't have the right to stand here and watch all those people die needlessly because Fat-Ass and Creepy decided that it would be convenient to let them do so…God, I wish I could DO something about it!"_


	16. Catastrophe

Chapter 16: Catastrophe

A Crusader commander walked into the area and saluted the maesters. "It is time at last," he reported, "We must tell the Al Bhed outside to begin the operation at once." Then he turned to Yuna and the others and said, "The fiends may break through, so be prepared to defend yourselves."

Everyone quickly readied themselves for battle, as Kinoc stepped out onto the platform protruding over the ledge and raised his hand. "Will Sin come?" Yuna asked the commander.

"Sin always returns for its spawn," the old man replied with a grim smile. "Just to make sure, we're going to encourage them to call out to it."

"You won't have to. It'll come," Auron said, impassive as always.

"_Why is that? Is it because Sin is supposed to be Jecht?"_ Charlene thought to herself. _"If that's really true, then why did he bring ME here?"_

A low hum rang through the air, followed by a loud crackle as a huge surge of electricity flowed through the cage full of fiends. The beasts roared loudly in pain as everyone watched their torment. Suddenly, the ground rocked under a massive explosion as the wall of the cage blew apart. When the smoke cleared, a monstrous Sinspawn composed of the smaller fiends slithered out of the remnants of the cage and bellowed in insane fury. "That wasn't supposed to happen!" the commander shouted in dismay.

Just then, the huge mutant rushed forward and swatted the old Crusader with a massive, shield-like pincer, crushing him instantly. Charlie tried very hard to keep from throwing up as the Sinspawn flung the commander's bloody remains over the cliff and renewed its charge. Then it halted as Lulu lobbed a Water spell at it, striking it on the underside of its long, snakelike neck. While it was distracted, Kimahri rushed forward and stabbed at the face sticking out of its chest, but it managed to block the attack with its pincers, and then knocked the Ronso away. "Kimahri, are you okay?" Charlie called, dodging a swipe of one of the giant claws.

The silent guardian nodded once, got to his feet, and reentered the fray, this time assaulting the shoulder joint of the right pincer. Auron quickly joined him, and together, the two of them managed to hack off the beast's arm, which quickly disintegrated in a cloud of pyreflies. Shrieking in pain and rage, the mutant Sinspawn's head thrashed about wildly, and then it spat a huge glob of greenish goo at its attackers. The disgusting blob hissed loudly as it burned its way through the ground, and Wakka shouted, "Hey, that's the same trick that Sinspawn used back in Kilika!"

When the monster acted as if it would spit again, the blitzer chucked his ball at its head, momentarily stunning it and halting its attack. Charlie then dashed inside the reach of its remaining pincer and slashed it across the face with her sword before rolling out of the way again. The wound she inflicted was not deep, but it was enough to further enrage the fiend, and it retaliated by unleashing a wave of crushing darkness on the group. Before it could unleash another attack, however, Yuna got to her feet and raised her staff to the sky. "Everyone, stand back!" she shouted, twirling the staff around.

The rest of the group quickly got out of the way, as Ifrit burst from the ground in a wave of crimson flames and roared in hellish fury. The fire demon then launched itself forward in a spiraling flip and tore great bloody rents in the Sinspawn's armor with its scythe-like talons. The beast roared in agony, and then swiped at Ifrit with its remaining claw, and the two titans traded blows like a couple of stubborn boxers. Finally, the demon unleashed a great gout of fire directly in the face of the fiend, which, after much shrieking and screaming, collapsed to the ground and did not move, save for some slight twitching. "Uh…is it dead?" Charlie asked, as Yuna sent Ifrit away.

Before anyone could answer, a huge shadow appeared beneath the waves and slowly approached the shore. Suddenly, the waters parted, and Sin rose from the depths, its many eyes flickering brightly beneath the rapidly pulsing dark armor. The Crusaders on the beach restlessly waited for the go-ahead from Lucil. There were several loud booms, as the Al Bhed fired their cannons at Sin, tearing chunks out of its armor. The pieces then fell into the ocean, where they quickly morphed into strange mixtures of fish and spider and rushed toward the shore.

Lucil raised her sword, and with a great yell, the Crusaders charged, meeting the fiends at the waterline with a thunderous crash of steel. As the battle raged on, Charlie shouted, "How in bloody flaming hell are we supposed to defeat something that BLEEDS monsters?"

Auron, suddenly alarmed by something, yelled, "Look out!"

Just then, Sin loomed out of the sea, dropping the strange pulsating armor and revealing its true form. A massive bubble of dark light appeared around it, and then surged forward, engulfing Crusaders and fiends alike and blowing them to atoms. The bubble continued onward without stopping, and soon all Charlie could see was brilliant white light that faded into deep blackness.

…_Flash…_

Charlie lay on her side on a huge dark rock in the middle of an ocean of blood. Seymour stood nearby, knee-deep in the scarlet flood, laughing in insane glee as he slowly shifted back and forth between his real form and that of the giant snake from her previous nightmares. Then the blood vanished, leaving behind a seemingly endless plain of bones, and the great black wolf appeared as if from nowhere and attacked the serpent. Suddenly, both of them vanished, and the voice of the little boy in purple rang out, "Charlie, wake up! You have to wake up now!"

…_Flash…_

Charlene woke up, lifted her head to look around, and nearly blacked out. Corpses and bits of corpses littered the beach, the sand between them soaked with blood. Her head spun as her mind ran around in tight little circles. _"Oh my God! This is just like the nightmare back on the ship! No, it's worse than that! Oh God!"_

She got to her feet and lurched to the waterline, where she promptly fell to her knees and emptied what felt like everything she'd ever eaten into the red-tinged waves. When her stomach finally ran out of things to throw up, she wiped at her mouth, got to her feet again, and staggered back up the beach, trying her best to keep from screaming. Charlie walked on mindlessly, as if she were a zombie, until she almost tripped over rather familiar-looking body. Gatta was propped against the wall of the cliff, his eyes unseeing and head lolled at an unnatural angle. "Oh no…Gatta, no!" Charlie whispered, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. _"I was going to see if someone would keep an eye on him…but I forgot. Gatta, I'm so sorry! You died because of me…"_

The young woman turned away from him, and saw Sin floating there, almost as if it were watching her. Then the monstrosity turned away, renewing its pulsating armor, and headed out to sea. "Oh no, you don't!" Charlie shouted, furiously giving chase, "You get your big ass back here and fight me, goddamn it!"

The young woman dove into the water and swam after Sin, in her anger forgetting that it was a million times bigger than she was and could crush her like a bug. She continued to swim, ducking and dodging through the sunken ruins of a city, when suddenly she grew dizzy, her movements slowing until she finally blacked out.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood on the edge of a strange empty meadow, surrounded on all sides by leafless, crystalline blue trees. She looked up at the sky above, and gaped in astonishment at the endless blue-streaked black that shot by as if the land was falling endlessly through space. Suddenly, the ghostly images of countless Crusaders walked back and forth through the field, and one of them, eerily enough, was Gatta. _"That's impossible! Gatta is dead!"_

All the ghosts vanished, replaced by the boy in purple, who sadly shook his head and vanished. Then, a blitzball appeared, rocketed forward, and whacked her in the face. Charlie flinched away from the ball, and then realized that the scenery had changed and she now stood on a platform in the middle of an empty city, a great sigil burning in the background like a bonfire. In the middle of the platform stood a dark haired, scarred man with a red bandana, clad only in a pair of black shorts and a metal armguard. "You…you're Jecht, aren't you?" she asked.

He nodded, but didn't say anything, and Charlie yelled, "Why the hell did you bring me here, huh? Did you think that you could just snatch me from my home and just toss me wherever you wanted?"

Jecht shook his head, and then a ghostly image of Tidus appeared next to her, flickering violently between past and present. Charlie looked at it, and suddenly felt an alien wave of deep and abiding sadness wash over her. _"This feeling…am I feeling Jecht's sadness?"_ "Tidus…is gone now," she told him, her voice subdued. "Something happened that wasn't supposed to, and somehow I ended up in Zanarkand because of it."

The Tidus image disappeared and Jecht hung his head, as if to say, _"I know and I'm sorry"_. Then he looked up and pointed at her, and before she could say or do anything else, a brilliant gold-white light flashed, taking the world into darkness.

…_Flash…_

Charlie woke up, lying on her back in the bloodstained sand, pyreflies swirling over her head like a sky full of living stars. She slowly sat up, fighting the dizziness that threatened to plunge her back into the world of darkness. _"I'm…still alive? Yes, I'm still alive, and still on Spira."_ Charlie looked around at all the bodies of the dead Crusaders, and saw Yuna among them, dancing feverishly as she sent the souls of the dead to their rest at the Farplane. _"So many people needlessly died today, all because Fat-Ass and Creepy knew this would happen and did nothing about it! They let these poor bastards get themselves killed in a hopeless battle! Poor Yuna…she shouldn't have to perform the sending for these people! They shouldn't have had to die!"_

Suddenly, Auron's voice snapped Charlie out of her angry reverie. "I see you're still here."

"What?"

"Many stories ended here today…but yours goes on, I see."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" _"Man, he's really obsessed with stories, isn't he?"_

Instead of answering her, Auron turned on his heel and walked away, his heavy boots crunching the sand. Charlie muttered several foul obscenities under her breath and got to her feet. She started to follow him, but stopped when she spotted a flicker of blue out of the corner of her eye. "What the hell is this?" she wondered aloud, walking up to the source of the light.

Charlene carefully cleared away the sand, and then a burst of blue light gushed out of a small hole in the ground. "Hey, it's a Life Spring!" she exclaimed as the azure glow washed over her, gently sweeping away her exhaustion.

"It must have been dormant beneath the sand all this time, until Sin's attack awakened it," Lulu said, striding over and touching it. Then she gave Charlie a concerned look and asked, "You were near Sin again! The toxin…are you okay?"

The young woman nodded and then went to find the others. Auron stood several yards away, glaring at Kinoc through his dark sunglasses. "A swift retreat," he said, his voice icy. "Satisfied?"

"What do you mean?" the portly maester demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Those who turned from Yevon died while the faithful live on," the swordsman replied.

If Kinoc was surprised that Auron had seen through his little scheme, he did a good job of hiding it. "The past ten years have changed you, I see," he said, his dark eyes flashing.

The two men glowered at one another a moment longer, and then turned and walked away, anger clear in both their postures. Charlie ground her teeth in barely concealed rage, struggling to keep her promise to Auron and not punch Kinoc in the nose. _"That sorry son of a BITCH!"_

Just then, she noticed Yuna standing there, performing the prayer as Kinoc departed. Charlie started to call out to her, but then Seymour sauntered up to the summoner, an all-too fake look of concern plastered across his face. "You do not look so well," he said, lightly laying a long-fingered hand on Yuna's shoulder. "But now, more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence."

Yuna made a small choking noise, as if she were about to cry, and Charlie growled as she saw a small smile play across the Guado's lips. _"That sick bastard's enjoying her pain! Goddamn creep!"_ She shuddered as she remembered the dream of him standing in the blood, laughing his head off.

Seymour quickly renewed his look of false sympathy, and said, "Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow, but you…are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," she sadly replied.

"Are you afraid?" he asked, the slight smile once again ghosting across his lips. When she returned the smile, he said, "Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength, as Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon."

"_What a friggin' crock that is!"_ Charlie thought, trying not to gag. _"I don't know what that guy's deal is, but it definitely isn't anything that'll help out Yuna, that's for damn sure!"_

Seymour then removed his hands from Yuna's shoulders, stepped back, and bowed. "Lady Yuna, until next we meet, farewell."

With that, the Guado maester departed, and Charlie let out a rather loud sigh of relief. The young woman then turned and found Auron standing in the shadow of what was obviously a giant busted machina. "Why are you over here skulking in the shadows like some kind of weirdo?" she asked, trotting up to him.

"Sin is Jecht," he replied, as if that were the answer to all the mysteries of the universe.

"I don't know what that has to do with my question, but yeah, I guess you're right."

"Sin IS Jecht," he repeated. "He came here for you."

"WHAT? He killed a whole boatload of people to come stare at me? I don't even know him!" Charlie shrieked.

"That's what Sin does," Auron calmly replied

"What, it kills people so it can gawp at some funny-looking girl?"

"No, it kills people for no particular reason," Auron snapped, glaring at her. "He wanted you to see that…and you shouldn't talk about yourself that way."

"And since when do you care about my self-esteem?" Charlie demanded. Then she stopped and shook her head. "On second thought, don't answer that. I don't think my sanity could handle that along with whatever else you're about to tell me. Anyway, why does 'Jecht' want me to see what Sin does?"

"He wants you to kill him," he replied. "As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wanted Tidus to stop him, but…"

"But he died, and I ended up here in his place," Charlie finished, giving him an inquisitive look. "How in the world do you know all this, anyway?" Instead of answering, Auron chuckled and walked away. "Hey, don't run away from me!" she shouted after him.

"You're the one running," he responded, not turning around.

"Oh really? And just what am I running from, then, Mr. Know-It-All?"

Auron stopped and turned around. "Yourself."

Charlie stared at the swordsman's back as he walked away, gaping like a landed fish and at a complete loss for words. _"I seriously do not know what to think of this guy! One moment he acts like he might actually drop the 'Cold Stonehearted Soldier' act, but then he acts like he doesn't give a fat damn about anything but the pilgrimage! He's crazy...he just has to be! Of course, that makes me and everyone else just as loony, since we all trust him."_ She shook her head and sighed in exasperation. _"Well at least he doesn't give me the creeps the way Seymour does."_

…

A few minutes later, Charlene caught up to the rest of the group, who were standing near a busily spellcasting Shelinda. _"She may be a spineless pansy, but she's definitely good at White Magic!"_ They departed again as soon as she arrived, following the trail of wounded Crusaders up the long road to Djose Temple. The sight of so many wounded and dejected soldiers, combined with the seemingly barren scenery, created a nearly overwhelming aura of depression that weighed on Charlie's soul like an anvil. _"God, I wish I could go home!"_ she thought unhappily. _"I'm not doing anyone any good by being here! Everyone else is ten times the guardian I am, and they'd be a lot better off if I wasn't here! They're just too nice to say anything, that's all."_

"Hey you two, hurry up!" Yuna cheerily shouted, snapping Charlie out of her despondent reflection.

"_Us two?" _The young woman looked around and realized that Kimahri walked next to her, quiet as always. Then she turned her attention back to Yuna, who was laughing merrily at a joke Wakka had made. "Well isn't she just 'Ms. Happy-Go-Lucky' all of a sudden!" Charlie commented, confused by the seemingly inappropriate attitude.

Kimahri walked past her, but then turned around and stopped. "In dark times, she must be," he said, his voice a deep, rumbling bass. "She must shine bright. Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard."

"_Holy shit, he can talk!"_ The young woman's eyes grew wide at this startling revelation, and she had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping open in awe. "Maybe we should help her then," she suggested, recovering from her shock."

Kimahri shook his head. "If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown."

The Ronso turned and walked away again, and an extremely annoying song popped up in Charlie's head as she asked, "So what you're saying is 'Don't worry, be happy'?"

"Kimahri try, too," he replied, facing her again.

"Okay, then smile!" she said. "Come on, put on your 'happy' face!"

The Ronso folded his arms and lifted his lips in what had to be the most frightening smile in existence! It looked like he was about to run toward the nearest living thing and kill it. Charlie flinched, then smiled weakly in response. _"If he had smiled at me like that back in Besaid, I'd have probably dropped my sword and run for my life! Good God, he looks like he's gonna eat someone, smiling like that, but at least it's genuine, unlike certain other people I know."_


	17. Thunderstruck

Chapter 17: Thunderstruck

Despite the fact that Sin had nearly wiped them all out, there were still plenty of Crusaders in various states of health limping up the road toward Djose Temple. Unfortunately, in their wounded state, they made extremely tempting targets for the resident fiends, which lurked in the shadows on the off chance that someone would fall behind. Charlene and the others followed the Crusaders, facing the occasional bold, but stupid fiend, and traveling unmolested otherwise. "What do you think is going to happen to the survivors?" Charlie asked Wakka as they passed a group of wounded soldiers leaning against the wall.

"I don't really know," the blitzer replied. "Hopefully, the Crusaders will go to the temple and pray for forgiveness."

"That's all well and good, I suppose, but would Yevon take them back?" she asked. Wakka just stared at her confusedly, and she sighed, "Never mind. I think I know the answer anyway." _"The temple will either turn them all away to die, or take them back, but keep them on tight leashes. Either way, the Crusaders as Spira knew them are no more, all because of Seymour and Kinoc! God, I can't decide which one of them I hate more for this, since they're both equally responsible for this…this massacre!"_

Just then, a loud, rasping hiss snapped the brooding girl out of her thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see two huge snakelike fiends slither out of the shadows. Both were long, pale beasts, with light orange markings and glowing red gems in the middle of their foreheads. The snakes reared up, looking very much like cobras with their outspread hoods, and hissed again, angrily waving their spiked "arms" at the party. "What the hell are those things?" Charlie yelled, drawing her sword.

Before anyone could answer her question, the fiends lashed out at Wakka and Kimahri, since those two were closest. Both guardians managed to evade the attack, however, receiving only minor scrapes from the creatures' claws. Undeterred by their failure to make any killing strikes, the two snakes continued to lash at Kimahri and Wakka with flailing limbs and spiked tails, forcing both of them to remain on the defensive. Finally, one of them managed to knock Wakka down, and rushed forward to finish him off, but then Lulu unleashed a barrage of Blizzard spells on it and its partner. Being reptiles, the ice slowed the two snakes down long enough for the two harried guardians to fall back and let Charlie and Auron take their places.

Charlene hacked away at her opponent while it could not see, and the loud, wet crunch of a half-severed limb rewarded her by spraying bright blue blood everywhere. However, a sideswipe from the remaining limb knocked her backward, and she lost balance and fell on her backside. "Oh shit! Not good! Not good!" she yelled, slashing at the snake's head with the Brotherhood.

Somehow, her blow managed to shatter the fiend's jewel-eye, and it threw its head back, shrieking loudly in agony until a combined Blizzard spell from Lulu and a blitzball attack from Wakka killed it. Meanwhile, Auron battled the other serpent by himself and handled it quite well, despite the handicap of being blind on his right side. The swordsman lopped off a large piece of the snake's lashing tail, followed by one of its claws, but when he tried to decapitate it, its gem flared brightly, momentarily blinding everyone. When the blood-hued light faded, the severely wounded fiend was nowhere in sight, and Auron still stood with his sword in mid-swing, as if frozen in place. "Uh…Auron, are you okay?" Charlie asked, cautiously poking the motionless guardian in the ribs.

The swordsman didn't respond at all, instead continuing to stand as still as a statue. _"A statue…oh damn!"_ "Auron!" she shouted, shaking him. "Auron, what the hell's wrong with you?"

Yuna quickly cast an Esuna spell, and suddenly Auron started moving again. He frowned down at Charlie for a moment, his eye unfocused, but then shook his head. "I must be rusty," he muttered, pushing past her.

Charlie watched him stalk off, and she turned to Yuna and asked, "What happened to him? He didn't even so much as flinch when I poked him!"

"He was petrified," she explained, "Basilisks have the ability to petrify their victims with a look."

"Okay…" Charlie looked doubtful, but didn't say anything else. _"Snakes that can freeze you with a look? God only knows what other kinds of screwed up creatures they have here in Spira!"_

…

Some time later, the six of them arrived at a fork in the road, so they stopped to rest for a moment. "Hey, how much longer will it take us to reach Zanarkand?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Still a ways," Wakka replied.

When the blitzer made no further explanation, Lulu added, "First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam, then we cross the Thunder Plains and head for the temple of Macalania."

"But before that, we get to pray at the temple in Djose!" Yuna chimed in, smiling brightly.

Charlie blinked in amazement, and then asked, "You can't skip any of that, can you?"

Yuna shook her head. "I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon."

"That's a summoner's training," Wakka said. "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."

"That sounds really tough!" Charlie exclaimed.

"I'll be fine with you here!" Yuna replied.

With that, everyone except Charlie and Auron strolled down the path, presumably toward the temple. The young woman started to follow, but then Auron stopped her. "Hey, new girl," he called.

Charlene whipped around and glared at him. "Are you addressing me?"

"Who else?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I have a name, you know! Or is your memory as rusty as your skills?" she shot back, continuing to scowl.

"You've got a big mouth," Auron said, amused at her audacity.

"Why don't you come shut it for me," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Don't worry about it!" She shook her head and then sighed, "Anyway, what did you want?"

"Don't tell Yuna you know about Sin and Jecht," he told her.

"What? Why not?"

"She would…distance herself from you, and we do not want that."

"What, because of some 'connection' I'm supposed to have with Jecht?" When Auron nodded, she said, "It's not like anyone would really believe me, you know."

"Yuna would."

"That's true…but why did I have to know about it? It's not like I'm related to him or anything."

Auron walked past her, and then stopped and turned around. "Would you rather I didn't tell you? Would you have been happier not knowing why you were brought here?" When she didn't answer, he turned away again and said, "That's what I thought."

Charlie, once again at a loss for words, stared at his retreating back and suppressed the urge to do…something. What that something was, she didn't know, just that it was frustrating. _"Damn him! That smug bastard just ENJOYS being right, doesn't he?"_

…

A few minutes later, Charlene caught up to the others, who stood around as Yuna talked to Lucil, Elma, and the still-unnamed male Chocobo Knight. "Yuna, it is good to see you and your companions well," Lucil said, relief quite evident in her expression.

"Yourselves as well, Captain," Yuna replied, just as relieved. "We were worried about you. Praise be to Yevon!"

"We escaped with our lives, but our troops were decimated," the captain said sadly.

"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it," Elma added, holding the reins of their lone chocobo.

"We make pretty poor Chocobo Mounted Forces without chocobos," said the round-faced boy.

"We turned our backs on the teachings and cast away our faith. This…this is our just reward," Lucil said, hanging her head.

The group left the Chocobo Knights to their own devices, and continued up the path until they reached the temple. It looked like a massive stone pillar that trembled as if under a constant earthquake. "So this is Djose Temple?" Charlie asked. Suddenly, as if in response to her question, the walls of the temple exploded outward, the shattered stones orbiting around their progenitor on bolts of greenish-white lightning. "Holy hell!" she shouted, gaping at the wonder before her.

"That is the Lightning Mushroom Rock," Lulu explained, faintly amused by Charlie's reaction. "It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth."

"That means another summoner's already in there," Wakka added unnecessarily.

"Another summoner?" Yuna gasped, looking slightly worried.

"Oh God, what if it's that bitch, Dona?" Charlie groaned.

"We have to hurry!" Yuna said.

The party started toward their destination, but then stopped when they noticed Luzzu lurking in the shadows of the temple. The Crusader looked up at their approach, but Charlie couldn't bring herself to meet those sad green eyes. _"I knew that Gatta was going to do something stupid, but I didn't say anything. It's my fault he's dead…I'm as much to blame for his death as Sin, or Kinoc, or Seymour! Oh God, how many people have to die because of me!"_

"Hey," Luzzu said, strangely calm, "Gatta, he's…he's dead. He was a good fighter, but he just wasn't lucky enough." Suddenly, the Crusader's handsome face twisted with rage and grief, which he vented by repeatedly punching the unoffending wall, as if it were the source of all his pain. "Ah, damn it! He was young! He pushed his luck! What was he thinking going up to the frontlines like that? He should've stayed back with command! Damn it! Damn it all!"

Charlie felt a couple of hot tears slip down her cheeks as Wakka yelled, "Luzzu, knock it off!"

"You don't know what it's like!" Luzzu shouted.

The Crusader was about to start attacking the walls again, but Wakka grabbed him, and said, "I…do…know!"

Charlie watched Wakka continue to comfort his friend, and choked back a sob as images of Gatta and Marcus, followed by a wave of guilt and self-loathing struck her. She was so busy holding back her emotions that she didn't notice Auron watching her out of the corner of his eye. _"I don't know what Charlie thinks she's doing, but she's going to hurt herself if she keeps trying to bottle everything up like that."_

Just then, she looked up and finally noticed him watching her, and she quickly wiped away the last of the stray tears before glaring at him, daring him to say something. Then Wakka finished calming Luzzu, so the six of them turned and headed for the temple, the impending confrontation temporarily forgotten.

…

The inside of Djose Temple was much like the other two, only this time, the theme of the décor was quite obviously lightning. They looked around for a moment, and then headed toward the stairs leading to the Cloister of Trials. Suddenly, the door at the top opened, and a man in blue and white robes walked out, followed by a dark-skinned man in red and white, and a dark haired little boy in green and blue. The man in the robes approached Yuna and said, "I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?"

"I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid," she politely replied.

"As I thought!" the stranger exclaimed, smiling broadly. "The daughter of Lord Braska…you have the look of your father."

"My father?" Yuna stared at the strange young man. "You knew him?"

"No, I have never met the man." The man blinked suddenly, as if he just remembered something he had forgotten, and bowed. "Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru, a summoner like you."

"I'm Pacce," the little kid chimed in. "Pleased to meet you."

"And I'm Maroda," added the man in red and white, "I'm guarding my big brother here."

"_Those three are brothers?"_ Charlie thought. _"They sure don't look like brothers! Maybe they're adopted or something. And what's the deal with the little one? If they're on a pilgrimage, then why in bloody blue hell are they letting him tag along? Don't they know how dangerous it is?"_

Before Charlie could voice any of those questions, however, Isaaru spoke again. "Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska and wished I would someday become a High Summoner like he was." He then gave Yuna an awe-filled look. "You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."

"I…I'm not really…I've only just become a summoner," Yuna modestly replied.

"Of course, I've no intention of losing, either," Isaaru continued, smiling again, "So perhaps we should race to see can defeat Sin first, no?"

Yuna returned the smile and nodded. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge."

"Isaaru!" Maroda called from the door.

"Yuna, I beg your leave," the summoner said, bowing apologetically. "Good luck, to the both of us!"

With that, Isaaru and his brothers left, and the rest of the group, except for Charlie, walked up the stairs and into the Cloister of Trials. The young woman turned to join her friends, but Isaaru's voice rang out behind her. "Hey, you."

Charlie turned around. "Are you talking to me?"

"You are Yuna's guardian, no?" the summoner asked, approaching her. "Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know."

She looked at Maroda, who said, "I heard it from those Crusaders. It seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just…disappearing."

"It could just be the fiends got them…but not so many so quickly," Isaaru added.

"Sorry I don't know more, but watch…your…back." Maroda emphasized those last three words. "Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?"

Just then, Pacce bounced up, an exuberant ball of energy. "What? What? Watcha all talkin' 'bout?" the little boy wanted to know.

"We're talking about doing your job as a guardian!" Maroda replied, giving the child a long-suffering look.

"_WHAT? You've got to be kidding me! That boy's got to be, what, seven, eight at the most, and they're letting him be a guardian? Why didn't they just find someone to keep an eye on him until they finished the pilgrimage?"_

"Hey, I'm doing good!" Pacce protested. Then he turned to Isaaru and gave him a winning smile. "Right, big brother?"

Isaaru nodded, and then turned back to Charlie. "Please be careful."

"I will," the young woman promised, all the while thinking, _"If anybody even so much as BREATHES wrong on Yuna, they'll spend their last few moments regretting it…just before they die a most horrible and painful death!"_ Finally, she looked down and realized that Pacce was still standing there; staring at her as if she were the most fascinating thing in the world. _"What's his problem?"_ she wondered.

"Pacce!" Isaaru called. "We're leaving!"

"Be right there!" The little boy ran to the door, and then turned around and waved at Charlie. "See ya!"

Charlie waved back, and then sadly shook her head. _"I just hope those two can keep that little boy out of trouble!"_

…

A few minutes later, Charlene caught up to her companions at the entrance to the Cloister of Trials. "All right! Guardians, at attention!" Wakka said when he noticed Charlie's arrival.

"_Yes, Drill Sergeant!"_ the young woman suppressed a giggle.

"We are ready," Yuna told him.

"All right, let's do it!"

The party made their way through the Cloister, the faint hum of electricity present in the air at all times. As in the previous two temples, they could only find the way forward by using the various spheres lying around. Charlie reached out and picked up one that glowed a sparkling green, and froze as a static tingle slowly ran over her body. _::Hello Charlie,::_ an old man's voice rang out in her mind. This new voice sounded old, but unlike Mika, this man sounded as if his age had only strengthened his soul, rather than wearing it away. _::Child, you should not bottle up your pain the way you have. It will only hurt more when you finally feel it, and will only cause your friends grief.::_

"_How the hell does some voice know what I'm feeling?"_ Before Charlie could ask, Wakka put his hand on her shoulder and asked, "You feeling okay?"

She blinked confusedly at him for a moment, and then replied, "No, I'm fine!" _"No, some weird voice just started talking inside my head, but I can't tell you that, because you'll just stare at me like I'm some kind of psychotic nutball who's about to go on a rampage involving lots of fire and green Jell-O!"_

"You sure?" Wakka looked doubtful.

"Yes, I'm sure, now can we please get on with this?"

The blitzer gave her a worried look, but didn't say anything else, and the group finished making their way through the Cloister with no further difficulties. When they got to the Chamber, Yuna immediately walked inside, leaving her guardians to await her return in tense silence. Charlie paced around for a little while, but after a quelling look from Kimahri, she quickly sat down and engaged in a staring contest with Auron, who seemed to be of the opinion that incessant watching was the best way to figure her out. They continued to eye one another, her look defiant and his inscrutable, until Dona and Barthello strutted into the room. "Well, well. You again," the summoner said, surveying the room with disgust, as if it was full of insects. "Still traveling with quite the crowd, I see."

Meanwhile, Barthello meandered around the room, nearly stepping on Charlie's leg, and stopped and stared at Auron. Although Dona's guardian was much bigger, Auron just continued to return the stare, his face coldly impassive. Finally, Dona broke the impasse by rudely asking, "What is it, Barthello? Do you know this riffraff?"

The overly muscular guardian ignored the question and inched closer to Auron. "You are…Auron, no?" he asked, drawing a stunned look from Charlie, who had gotten up and leaned against the far wall after her near trampling.

"_Wow, he can talk! Now let's see if he's going to be stupid enough to pick a fight with Mr. Happy-Joy-Man over there."_

"What of it?" Auron demanded, eyeing Barthello warily.

Suddenly, the hulking guardian struck a pose, almost as if he were competing in a bodybuilding competition, and asked, "Can…I shake your hand?"

Charlie felt her jaw start to drop and let it, not caring that she was staring like some kind of bumpkin at a carnival freak show. _"He wants to shake Auron's hand? What the hell!"_

Barthello struck another absurd pose and proclaimed, "Auron…no, _Sir_ Auron, you're the reason I became a guardian!"

At that, Auron chuckled and extended his hand, and the hero-worshipping guardian took it and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, sir!" Barthello gushed, drawing a look of disgust from Dona, "This means so much to me!"

"Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska riffraff?" Wakka demanded, quite clearly taking pleasure in Dona's astonishment.

"And you call yourself a summoner!" Lulu smirked, her red eyes cool.

"_Stupid bitch really put her foot in it this time, didn't she?"_ Charlie thought, fighting down the urge to laugh.

Dona gaped at them a moment longer and then stalked over to one side of the room, yelling, "Barthello, enough! Get over here!"

Like a faithful dog, Barthello quickly trotted over to his mistress, all the while still going on about the handshake like a teenybopper at a boy band concert. "I swear I'll never wash this hand again!" he cried.

"Oh please!" Dona groaned. "Touch me with that hand and I'll remove it!"

A while later, the door to the Chamber opened and Yuna stumbled out, Kimahri's quick reflexes the only thing keeping her from cracking her head on the floor. As the Ronso continued to support her, Dona sneered, "You owe much to your father. All these guardians…and Sir Auron, too? I also hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you." The older summoner's look grew quite vicious. "The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."

"This has nothing to do with my father!" Yuna replied, her temper flaring slightly. "I am traveling on my own, as a full-fledged summoner!"

"Oh, is that so?" Dona demanded nastily. "Then try standing on your own two legs for once." She strode toward the Chamber of the Fayth, still glaring at Yuna. "Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes."

Then she entered the Chamber, and the door slid shut behind her. "I hope the goddamn door gets stuck while she's inside!" Charlie growled as they headed back out of the temple. "I swear to God, if she weren't a summoner, I'd kick her ass back to Kilika!" Everyone stopped and stared as if she had just said something really vile, but she was angry, tired, and just didn't care anymore. "What? I'm not sorry I said it! I don't care if she's a summoner or President of the United States…"

"What's the President of the Whatever-You-Said?" Wakka interrupted.

"What? That's not the point! The point I'm trying to make is that she doesn't have the right to talk to Yuna that way!" Finally, Charlene threw her hands up in exasperation and stormed off, sighing, "Just forget it! I don't know why I even bother opening my mouth."

"Hey, Charlie?" Yuna called.

The young woman stopped and turned around, "Yes?"

"Thank you."


	18. Returns

Chapter 18: Returns

Despite the fact the owners converted it into a temporary hospital for the surviving Crusaders, the inn near the temple still had enough space for the party to sleep for the remainder of the night. Yuna, however, had decided to remain at the temple and do what she could for the wounded. Charlie wanted to go help her, but since she did not know anything about White Magic, she would only be in the way, so she just found an empty corner, curled up into a ball, and quickly fell asleep.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood alone in the darkness, surrounded on all sides by impossibly high, cracked walls made of black ice. "Hello?" she softly called, looking around. "Is anyone out there?"

She waited for what seemed like hours, but finally someone appeared in the shadows. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Charlie?" the stranger said, stepping into the light.

She let out a small scream, but then covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes widened in recognition. "Marcus, is that you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What happened to you?"

"I died, remember?" Marcus' gray eyes flashed, but this time not with amusement, as he stalked toward her. "I died because of you! Just like that Crusader boy died! Just like how all these people are going to die…ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"

The young woman reeled as if he had physically struck her. "But…how could you know all this? You're…"

"Dead?" Marcus sneered at her, an expression she had never seen on his face before. "Yeah, that's right, I'm dead! I'm dead because of you! You killed me and couldn't even take the time to go to my goddamn FUNERAL!" With that last word, a blast of icy wind threw Charlie against one of the frozen walls, and he continued to advance on her, his voice full of hate. "You're a walking curse, you heartless little bitch, and now you're going to help finish off all the poor people on this world and then start on our own, aren't you!"

"No!"

"Oh really? The look in your eyes tells me that you might not be so sure about that."

"SHUT UP!" Charlie screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You aren't real! The real Marcus would never talk to me like this!"

"Is that so? Well, why don't you just stop and remember what all our dear classmates had to say about you after I died?"

Charlie covered her ears, trying desperately to keep the memories away, but they came anyway…

_Murdering bitch! Why couldn't you have died instead of him! No one would have missed a freak like YOU!_

"Stop it! Stop it, please!" she shrieked, slamming her fists against the burning cold floor.

Finally, the terrible memories ceased, and Charlene curled up into tight ball, weeping and shaking violently. The air in the room grew even colder, and 'Marcus' pulled Charlie to her feet and slammed her face-first against the wall, twisting her arm behind her back to keep her from struggling. "Do you see what's out there, beyond the wall?" he asked, tonelessly. "Do you see what's out there, waiting for you to fail?"

Charlie didn't want to look, but she had no choice, so she opened her eyes and peered beyond the transparent blackness of the ice-wall. Outside were creatures from nightmare, all shadows and teeth, swimming through the otherwise lifeless void as if it were water. "What…what are they?" she quavered, flinching as one of them slammed against the wall.

"Those are a part of you, Charlie," 'Marcus' explained, releasing his grip on her. "Get a good long look at them, because when you finally fail, all these pathetic walls of yours are going to collapse and your little friends out there are going to eat you alive!"

The thing disguised as Marcus, his work completed, vanished, his cruel laughter echoing throughout the room as the temperature dropped yet again. The creatures outside continued to circle just outside the walls, watching and waiting in silence as Charlie sank to the floor, weeping the bitter tears she had mostly forgotten how to shed in the waking world.

…_Flash…_

Charlie wept, but did not wake, so she never realized that Auron sat nearby, watching her sleep. Actually, he was dozing until her crying woke him up, but he just couldn't bring himself to wake her, for some reason. She was such a strange person, a walking contradiction that battled itself without even realizing it did so. _"Is this the only time she lets herself cry?"_ he wondered, continuing to watch her. _"Does she really think that she isn't supposed to let herself feel anything? Surely, she knows that she doesn't have to try to do everything by herself…doesn't she? Probably not. She appreciates help, most of the time, but would rather die than actually ask for it herself, thinking she can handle everything alone…hardheaded girl."_

Finally, Auron shook his head, muttering, "Damn, she even manages to irritate me in her sleep. How does she do it?"

Charlie rolled over so that her back was against the wall and curled up again, shivering violently, until the swordsman reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, just as he had in Luca. "Hey, it's okay," he told her, feeling a little foolish, since she was asleep.

Apparently, it was a good idea, however, because she relaxed at his touch and finally escaped whatever nightmares were plaguing her. Surprised and feeling faintly pleased with himself, Auron cracked a smile and pulled away from her before returning to his own rest.

…

The next morning, Charlene awoke with a vague memory of someone's touch and comforting words, but shrugged it off as a dream-fragment. She then got to her feet, stretched, and then headed outside to look for her friends. As soon as she appeared, everyone turned to look at her, and Wakka said, "Hey, we leave as soon as Yuna gets here."

"Where is she?" Charlie asked.

"She's still in the temple," the blitzer replied.

"All right, I guess I'll go get her then."

Charlie entered the temple and found Yuna easily enough, but the summoner was fast asleep on one of the beds. A nearby nun looked up at the guardian and said, "She was working until dawn healing the wounded, sending the fallen."

"Okay, I'll let her sleep a little longer," Charlie whispered, turning to leave. _"That poor girl's running herself ragged for these people…but she's strong, so I know she can handle it."_

Just then, Yuna awoke and sat up in the bed. "Good morning, sunshine!" Charlie said, smiling as she turned back around.

"What? Morning?" Yuna looked confused.

"Hey, it's okay," Charlie reassured her.

"But it's morning!" Yuna hopped to her feet and smoothed out her rumpled clothes. "I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away!"

The summoner scurried around the room, frantically trying to gather her things, and Charlie said, "Hey, take it easy! The world's not going to fall on your head if you're just a little late, you know!"

When Yuna made no sign that she heard her, she shrugged and headed back outside. "Is she awake yet?" Lulu asked.

Before Charlene could answer, the temple doors flew open and Yuna ran out as if the building suddenly caught fire. "Yo, sleepyhead!" Wakka grinned.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" she apologized, before running up to Auron and bowing. "Please forgive me!"

"Really, there's no rush…" Lulu told her. "Here, your hair…"

"What?" Yuna immediately stopped her apologetic bowing and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make it behave.

"A summoner with bed hair!" Wakka joked, "What's the world comin' to?"

"You could have woken me up!"

"We called to you, but with all that snoring…" Lulu trailed off, smiling.

Yuna gasped in mock indignation, and said, "What is it today? Everyone's picking on me!"

Everyone laughed, except for Auron, who stood in silence for a long moment before joining in. Yuna turned to him and said, "You too, Sir Auron?"

"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!" he announced, his voice full of amusement.

As the rest of the group departed, Yuna and Charlie looked at each other, smiled, shrugged, and then hurried to catch up to them. On their way out of the temple grounds, they ran into Elma and Lucil, who were leaving as well. "Off so early?" Lucil asked, bowing to Yuna. "Lady Yuna, you must be exhausted after working so hard last night. Will you be okay?"

Yuna giggled and nodded, performing the prayer gesture in response. "I feel that I have rested enough, but thank you for your kindness! Will you be leaving too?"

"Yes," Lucil replied. "First we cross the Moonflow, and then we head north in search of chocobos to replace those we have lost."

"Once we find chocobos, our Mounted Forces will ride again!" Elma added fervently.

"Hey, what happened to that guy who was with you?" Charlie wanted to know.

Just then, the missing Chocobo Knight sprinted into view, shouting, "Captain! Waaaait for meee!"

Finally, the Chocobo Knight caught up to the group and nearly collapsed, panting as if he had just run fifty miles. "What took you so long, Clasko? We're leaving!" Elma demanded, irritated at his tardiness.

Clasko gave the female Knight an incredulous look. "You expect me to keep up with a chocobo?" he panted.

Lucil shook her head and turned her attention back to Yuna. "Lady Yuna, I wish you good fortune." Then she turned back to her comrades and said, "Elma! Clasko! Let's go!"

"Ma'am!" Elma replied.

"Eh? C-can't I just rest a sec…?" Clasko began plaintively.

"No complaints!" Elma barked, cutting off his request.

The two Chocobo Knights then rushed after their leader, leaving Yuna and Charlie behind. Charlie shook her head and said, "I hate to say it, but that guy's not meant for the soldier's life."

Yuna nodded in agreement, and then said, "Let's catch up to the others."

The two of them arrived at the fork in the road, where the rest of their party was waiting for them. "So what's next?" Charlie asked.

"We cross the Moonflow," Lulu replied.

"All right, let's go!"

…

The path leading up to the Moonflow was a large, grassy expanse, much like the Mi'ihen Highroad, but unlike it in the fact that its scenery included copses of trees that grew thicker the further the group ventured, eventually turning into a vast forest. They did not travel long, however, before they ran into Shelinda on the side of the road. "Good day, everyone," she said, bowing respectfully. "We can all learn a lesson from what happened to the Crusaders."

"What lesson is that?" Charlie demanded, in her mind adding, _"Is it that trusting the maesters will get you killed?"_

"Only the truly faithful have a hope of defeating Sin," Shelinda answered, sounding almost as if she explained it to a small child.

Charlie rolled her eyes, but kept her comment to herself, and followed the party in brooding silence. _"The truly faithful? Faithful, my ass! The faithful weren't the ones who survived; it was the ones who Tubby and Tinkerbell decided weren't a threat to their power! They made sure that just enough people survived to go home and show how badly they were defeated after they turned from Yevon, but I'm willing to bet that very few of them were officers! Damn them! Nobody seems to notice how rotten the system is but me, and maybe Auron, because they're all so dazzled by the front those bastards use to make themselves look good!"_

Finally, she pulled herself out of her dark thoughts, but did not take part in any of the random conversations that occurred between the occasional battles with the resident fiends. The trip continued rather uneventfully, until they ran into a pair of familiar figures further up the road. Biran and Yenke, the two Ronso from the café in Luca, stood under a lone tree near the road, harassing a human man who looked quite terrified of them both. The frightened man finally ran away, and the two Ronso, although they saw the party, pretended they didn't and talked amongst themselves. "Look!" Biran smirked, watching the rapidly fleeing man. "One of Kimahri's friends. Looks just like him."

"What?" Charlie asked, her tone gone flat.

The gold-maned Ronso turned and leered at her. "Both follow summoners on all fours! Hornless goatlings!"

"Hornless! Hornless!" taunted Yenke.

Both Ronso burst out laughing, until Kimahri stepped up and glared at them, amber eyes practically glowing with rage. "You come to insult Kimahri?" he demanded.

"Wrong," Biran said, taking great delight in the smaller Ronso's anger. "We come to warn little Kimahri."

"Summoners disappear," Yenke added, grinning maliciously. "Never return."

"Next will be Kimahri's summoner," Biran added, eyes flashing wickedly.

"Poor Kimahri!" Yenke sneered. "Lost his horn, next lose his summoner!"

"Pitiful Kimahri! Howl alone! Howl alone!"

With that, the two Ronso ran off, laughing uproariously. Charlie watched them leave, and then turned to Kimahri. "Hey, do those two have some kind of problem with you?" she asked. When he shook his head, she blinked at him in confusion. "So they were just messing with you? That sounded pretty damn serious to me!"

"Kimahri will deal with them."

"Hey, I've got your back, all right?" Charlie rather liked Kimahri and wanted to help him, if she could.

"Kimahri alone."

"You sure?"

Kimahri nodded, and before she could say anything else, Wakka said, "It's Kimahri's problem. We can't interfere: it's a rule."

"I'm worried," Lulu said thoughtfully.

"Let the Ronso deal with Ronso problems, ya?" Wakka replied, turning to face the black mage. "That's how it's always been."

"I mean I'm worried about those summoners disappearing," she told him, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"They aren't just disappearing into thin air," Auron said.

"_Maybe they just vanish into fat air."_ Charlie kept that thought to herself, and said, "Hey, we're guardians, so if we do our job properly, then there shouldn't be a problem, am I right?"

Everyone stopped and gave her another one of those "freak show" stares, but finally, Lulu broke the silence and said, "Confident, aren't we?"

"Of course!" _"It's about the only thing I seem to have any confidence in anymore, but you don't need to know that."_

…

Some time later, the six of them arrived on the bank of a wide river dotted with some type of water lily and streams of pyreflies rising from it like a reverse star-fall. "Wow, what is this place?" Charlie asked, her eyes full of wonder.

"This is the Moonflow," Lulu replied.

"And the flowers are moonlilies!" Yuna added. "They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here when night falls."

"The entire river glows like a sea of stars," Lulu said, an obscure kind of sadness in her voice.

"Really?" Charlie trailed off into thoughtful silence. _"That's got to be really something!"_

Before she could say anything, however, Auron said, "We're not waiting till nightfall."

Charlie turned around and glared at him. "I wasn't even going to suggest that, Killjoy! I was thinking that we could come back after we beat Sin, thank you very much!" _"If I'm still here, that is."_

Everyone fell silent and continued to watch the swirling pyreflies for a while, until Wakka said, "Hey, we better hurry, or we'll miss the shoopuf!"

"What the hell is a shoopuf?" Charlie demanded.

The blitzer pointed off to the left, and Charlie nearly fell over when she saw what he pointed at. Off in the distance stood an enormous, elephant-like creature with a long tail, a tightly curled trunk, and a cabin strapped to its back. "Holy flaming hell!" Charlie exclaimed, staring at the gigantic creature.

"That is a shoopuf," Wakka said, amused at her expression.

"It looks like a super-sized elephant!"

"Ele-what?"

"Uh…never mind. Let's go!"

The shoopuf ferry's departure, however, was still a few minutes away, so the party decided to take a little break and restock their supplies while they waited. Charlene, excited and a little nervous about riding such a strange creature, wandered around aimlessly until she ran into Yuna and Kimahri. "Shoopufs! I haven't ridden one in so long!" Yuna exclaimed, her two-colored eyes dancing with excitement.

"You've ridden one before?" Charlie was curious.

"Well, just once…ten years ago, with Kimahri." She turned to the Ronso. "Remember?"

Kimahri gave both girls an impassive look, and then rumbled, "Shoopuf shook, Yuna fall in water. Shoopuf scoop up Yuna with long nose. Yuna jump in three more times for fun. Kimahri worried."

Yuna blushed sheepishly and said, "Whoops."

Charlie grinned, and then left the two of them to their own devices as she continued wandering around, waiting to get on the shoopuf ferry. Suddenly, the sounds of Lucil talking to someone attracted her attention, so she went to see what the matter was. The Chocobo Knight, her two companions, and their lone chocobo stood nearby, talking to what had to be the oddest creature Charlie had ever seen in her life! It was short and bright blue, with long arms, webbed feet, and a froglike face. "Noo, I don shink sho," the odd little man said. "Ish bad idea, yesh."

"Please, we beg of you!" Lucil begged.

"Imposhibibble! Imposhibibble!" the strange creature replied, waving his massive, three-fingered hands.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"This guy won't let our chocobo on the shoopuf!" Elma exclaimed, clearly upset.

Charlie eyed the friendly yellow bird, and replied, "Well, it is pretty big."

"It's just not fair!" Elma cried unhappily.

"She does have a point, though," Clasko admitted.

The dark haired Chocobo Knight rounded on him, eyes flashing angrily. "So we just leave him behind?"

"Hey, I didn't say that! Just…"

Before Clasko could continue his reasoning, Lucil sighed, "It is no good. We will have to find another way. We will find a ford where we can cross on foot."

"Yes, Captain, sir!" Elma agreed.

"But…that'll take days!" Clasko protested.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Lucil said.

"Oh, boy…" Clasko sighed as the captain hopped on the chocobo and rode away.

"That's our captain!" Elma grinned, running after her.

"_Where there's a will, there's a way, huh? I'll have to try and remember that…"_ Charlie watched the Chocobo Knights leave, and then decided to look for Auron. She found the swordsman standing near the loading platform, staring intently at a large, ugly scar on one of the shoopuf's back legs. "Have you decided to try and burn a hole through the elephant now?" she asked.

"Ten years ago…" he said, not looking at her.

"Are you turning into a history teacher now?"

Auron turned to her, and fixed her with a peculiar stare. "Jecht saw his first shoopuf here," he said, ignoring her comment. "Surprised, he drew his blade and struck it."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why?"

"He was drunk…thought it was a fiend."

Charlie smacked her forehead in disgust and said, "Good God!" _"So Sin is an alcoholic? Well that's just great! Wonderful!"_

"We offered all the money we had as an apology," Auron continued. "Jecht never drank again, but it would seem that shoopuf still works here."

"And that's why you were staring at it?" Auron nodded, and Charlie said, "Well that's good, but you might want to stop eyeballing it and get a move on, since the little frog-man looks like he's ready to leave."

"Frog-man?"

Charlie pointed at the odd blue man standing near the shoopuf, and Auron said, "You mean the Hypello?"

"Uh…yes?"

Auron chuckled at her, but followed along as the gang regrouped on the loading platform. "Ride ze shoopuf?" the Hypello caretaker asked. Everyone nodded, and the little blue frogman herded them onto an elevator-like object. "All aboards!"

A few minutes later, after everyone had seated themselves in the cabin on the shoopuf's back, the Hypello driver scrambled into a seat above the elephantine creature's head, and shouted, "Shoopuf launchin'!"

With that, the massive beast lumbered into the water and began the crossing, moving with a peculiar kind of grace, despite its incredible size. They rode in silence for a while, enjoying the gentle rocking sensation of the shoopuf's stride as the sun slowly drifted toward the western horizon. Charlie's thoughts wandered lazily from one idle subject to the next, never really lingering on anything in particular, until Wakka said, "Hey, take a look."

Charlie blinked at him, confused for a moment, and then asked, "What, in the water?" When he nodded, she stood up, peered over the side, and felt her jaw drop with astonishment at what she saw. "Is…is that what I think it is?"

Below the surface of the water lay a sunken city, one nearly as large as Zanarkand, with pyreflies slowly drifting between the ruined buildings, heedless of their surroundings. "Yep, it's a machina city…a thousand years old!" he told her, grinning at her astonishment. "They built the city on bridges across the river."

"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom," Lulu added.

"Right. It's a good lesson."

Charlie stared at them both. "What are you talking about?"

"Why build a city over a river, ya?" Wakka asked.

"I don't know…maybe they wanted to be closer to the water?"

The blitzer shook his head. "Nope, that's not why. They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!"

"Are you sure?" Charlie was doubtful.

"Yevon has taught us: when humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?"

"_But the maesters have power, and lots of it, being the leaders of Spira and all,"_ Charlie thought to herself. _"They have it and they wield it like a rich kid showing off his new toy, but I guess no one's ever thought about that!" _"Hey, you guys use machina too, don't you? You know...things like the blitzball stadium?"

"Yevon, it decides which machina we may use, and which we may not," Lulu explained.

"Really? Okay then, what kind are we NOT supposed to use, hmm?"

"Remember Operation Mi'ihen?" Wakka asked, his expression grave. When Charlie sadly nodded, he said, "That kind."

"Or war will rage again," Lulu told her.

"War? What war?"

"More than a thousand years ago…" Yuna began, faltering slightly, "Mankind waged war using machina to kill!"

"They kept building more and more powerful machina," Wakka said.

Lulu then added, "They made weapons so powerful, it was thought they could destroy the entire world."

"The people feared Spira would be destroyed," Yuna said softly.

"But the war did not stop!"

Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka fell silent again, and Charlie gaped at the three of them. "I think I know what happened. Sin came…didn't it?"

"Yes," Yuna sadly replied, her eyes glittering with tears. "It came and destroyed the cities and their machina."

"Sin is our punishment for letting things get out of hand," Wakka said.

"Damn, that really sucks!" _"People wage war all the time back on Earth, so could that happen there? If it keeps up, will we end up with something like Sin on our hands?"_

Just then, Wakka's somber reply snapped her out of her musings. "Yeah, it does."

"Wait a minute! The machina aren't really bad, you know!"

"Only as bad as their users," Lulu said, expressionlessly.

"It's because of people like the Al Bhed screwin' everything up!" Wakka growled.

"_How the hell do you know?"_ Charlie wanted to scream, but suddenly, the cabin shuddered violently, and the argument flew straight out of her head. _"What the hell was that?"_

"Whatsh could thatsh be?" the Hypello driver wondered, unknowingly asking Charlie's question.

The cabin shook again, and everyone hopped to their feet. "Sit down!" Auron barked at Yuna.

"S-sorry!" she replied, immediately sitting down again.

Just then, an Al Bhed dropped from the canopy over the cabin, grabbed Yuna, and dragged her over the side into the water. "I don't think so, you rat-bastard!" Charlie shouted, hopping overboard after them, her sword drawn.

Wakka quickly followed her, and the two of them swam after Yuna as fast as they could. They soon caught up to the kidnapper, but found that they, too, had brought a friend. The 'friend' was a jellyfish-like machina, with a huge bubble on top, and inside it stood Yuna, looking worried, but otherwise okay. _"Oh, that does not look friendly!"_ Charlie thought, as she and Wakka closed in on it. _"But if that thing thinks we're just gonna back down and let it take Yuna, then it's got another thing coming!"_

…

Some time later, after a long fight involving depth charges and various other annoying attacks, Charlene and Wakka defeated the machina and managed to get Yuna away from it before it exploded. The three of them swam back to the shoopuf, where it helped them back into the cabin via its trunk, and they sat, or, in Wakka and Charlie's case, flopped into their seats. "Are you hurt?" Lulu asked, worriedly checking Yuna for any injuries.

"No, I'm fine," the summoner reassured her.

"Those Al Bhed!" Wakka yelled, spitting the name out like a curse.

"Ish ebullibody okay?" the driver called.

"Yes!" Yuna replied, standing up.

"Yuna!" Auron barked, giving her what Charlie had dubbed "The Look".

The soaking wet summoner immediately sat down again, and the Hypello spurred the shoopuf, shouting, "Shoopuf full shpeed aheads!"

The shoopuf, which had waited patiently during the rescue mission, took off again, heading for the opposite bank of the Moonflow as if the hounds of Hell were after it. As it made the journey, Wakka finally gave vent to his rage and did so quite loudly. "Damn the Al Bhed! What do they want from us? What are they after Yuna for? Could it be something to do with Luca? They're mad they lost the tournament, or wait, they're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!"

"I wonder…" Lulu said thoughtfully, seemingly unruffled by the kidnapping. "Didn't Kimahri's clansmen say something about summoners…disappearing?"

The blitzer gave her an astonished look for a moment, and then shouted, "So the Al Bhed are behind that? Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!"

"Wakka, just stop complaining about the Al Bhed already!" Charlie snapped, exasperated with his attitude. When he gave her a look as if he might toss her overboard, she said, "Look, what's done is done, okay? We saved Yuna, and we'll continue to protect her, and whether it's from the Al Bhed, or Bigfoot, or Santa Claus, it doesn't really matter, so just stop, all right?"

He gave her a doubtful look, but finally said, "I don't know what a Satan Claws is, or whatever you said, but okay."

As the shoopuf continued its trek, everyone settled down again, and Yuna shot Charlie a meaningful look that she had no trouble interpreting. _"Thank you."_

The young woman nodded and sighed. _"Wakka's a nice guy, but I swear to God he's going to drive me batty before this trip's over with! What in the world is he gonna do if he finds out that Yuna's half Al Bhed…hit her over the head with a blitzball? Of course, Kimahri would probably rip him a new one if he tried."_

Finally, the shoopuf made it across the river without any further incident, and the gang continued up the path at a leisurely pace, despite the fact that it was late afternoon and the sun was close to setting. Charlene ran ahead of the others a ways, in order to keep from smacking Wakka as he continued to badmouth the Al Bhed under his breath. Suddenly, a flash of red near the riverbank caught her eye, so she trotted over to investigate. Lying there among the reeds was a strangely familiar figure clad in a red and beige jumpsuit, and as Charlie inched closer, it moved slightly. "Hey, are you dead?" she asked, feeling a little absurd.

The figure got to its, no, her feet, and slowly removed the jumpsuit, revealing a pair of short green shorts and a pink tank top. "Thought I was done for, back there," she sighed, looking up to reveal a pair of bright green eyes with spiral pupils.

"Rikku!" Charlie joyously cried, as the girl fell to her knees. "Thank God you're okay! How are you?"

"Terrible!" Rikku replied, shaking her head.

Charlie gave the Al Bhed girl a closer look and noticed a number of bumps and bruises. "Hey, you look awful! What happened?"

"You beat me up, remember?" she said, pointing an accusing finger at Charlie.

"What?" Charlie scratched her head for a moment, and then it dawned on her. "Rikku, YOU were piloting that machina?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah! That really hurt, you know!" the Al Bhed complained, getting to her feet.

"But you attacked us first!" Charlie protested, taken aback by the accusation.

"It's not exactly what you think."

Before the conversation could continue any further, the others showed up, Wakka in the lead. _"Oh shit! Why did Wakka have to be at the front of the group? What if he tries to attack Rikku?"_

Wakka looked at the two girls for a long moment, and then asked, "Friend of yours, Charlie?"

Charlie blankly stared at him for a long moment. _"What the hell? This can't really be happening, can it? Wakka hates the Al Bhed, and yet can't recognize one when they're standing right in front of him? Dear Heaven, he's such a DINGBAT!"_ "Uh…yeah! She's a friend of mine!"

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Rikku!" the Al Bhed said cheerfully.

"Yuna, Lulu…" Charlie began, turning to them, "I told you about her, remember? She's the one who helped me out before I ended up on Besaid."

"Wow, so you like, owe her your life!" Wakka exclaimed. "What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon!" He performed the prayer and then gave Rikku a closer look. "So, uh…Rikku…you look a little beat up! You okay?"

Before she could answer, Lulu cleared her throat and said, "Uh, Wakka…"

"What?"

"There's something we need to discuss," Yuna said.

Wakka, not getting the hint, replied, "Oh, go ahead."

Finally, Rikku sighed and said, "Girls only! Boys please wait over there!"

"Right. Sorry, Wakka," Lulu told him.

The blitzer let out a disappointed sigh, but did as he was told, leaving the girls in peace. Charlie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but then turned her attention back to the conversation, which was going on without her. "Yunie…you know why I did what I did back there, right?" Rikku asked.

Yuna nodded, and said, "I understand, but you must also understand that I can't give up my pilgrimage."

"Are you sure? You know you could always come with me, instead."

"I know, but this is something I have to do."

"Okay…" Rikku sighed. "Well then…let me come with you! As a guardian, I mean."

"You know what that means, right?" Lulu asked, watching her carefully.

"Yes." The Al Bhed turned back to Yuna. "So…can I?"

"Lulu? Charlie? Would you accept Rikku as one of my guardians?" Yuna asked, looking at each of them in turn.

"I have no problem with it," Lulu replied.

"Me neither," Charlie answered, "But good luck running it past Mr. Merry-Friggin'-Sunshine over there!"

The four of them walked back to where the others were waiting, and Yuna said, "Sir Auron…I would like Rikku to be my guardian."

Auron strode up to Rikku, who quickly looked down at her shoes as if her life depended on staring at them. "Show me your face," he ordered.

"Huh?"

"Look at me."

"Oh, okay." Reluctantly, Rikku tilted her head up to face him, her eyes closed.

"Open your eyes," Auron told her, his tone brooking no argument. The Al Bhed sighed gustily, but did as told. "As I thought."

"Um…no good?" Rikku asked nervously.

"Are you certain?"

"A hundred percent! So, anyway…can I?"

"If Yuna wishes it."

"Yes, I do," Yuna said.

His inspection finished, Auron walked away from her, as Wakka grunted as if he wanted to say something. Before he could protest, Charlie trotted over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Rikku's a great person," she told him, trying to dispel his doubts. "She really helped me out when I was in trouble!"

Finally, the blitzer nodded and said, "Well, I'm for it! The more, the merrier!"

"Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" The Al Bhed then gave a little bow and said, "Rikku, at your service!"

…

The group, which now included Rikku, continued up the path, despite the fact that dusk was at hand, since their next destination, Guadosalam, was close by. As they drew closer to the Guado city, Charlie felt a wave of dread bordering on paralyzing fear roll over her, sending icy chills threading down her spine that not even Rikku's bouncy exuberance could dispel. _"Guadosalam…the City of the Guado…"_ she thought nervously, suppressing a shiver as her skin crawled. _"Seymour's a Guado, so he lives there, right? Is that why I feel like we're about to walk into a nest full of vipers? The Guado aren't all as creepy as he is…are they?"_


	19. Guadosalam

Chapter 19: Guadosalam

Of all the strange places and things Charlene had seen during her time in Spira, the city of Guadosalam was definitely near the top of the list. It was located entirely underground, but looked more like the inside of a giant tree than any sort of cave, and was preternaturally quiet, as if the inhabitants had long ago discovered another means of communication other than talking. Of course, the silence may have also stemmed from the fact that it was late in the evening and most of the inhabitants had already sought their beds. Fortunately, there was an inn just inside the entrance to the city, so the group decided to stay there for the night, before setting out again in the morning.

Charlie awoke late the next morning, having spent most of the night practicing her Al Bhed with Rikku, and the rest of it tossing and turning from bad dreams ranging anywhere from the aftermath of Operation Mi'ihen to dreams of being trapped in the middle of a bridge with Seymour on one end and Sin on the other. The young woman stepped outside the inn, and found the rest of the group waiting for her. "Sleep well?" Wakka asked, smiling brightly.

"No, I kept having nightmares all night long," Charlie sighed.

Before anyone could say anything else, an elderly Guado dressed in green and red walked up to them and bowed deeply. "We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna," he said as he finished his bow. "Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady, this way."

The strange Guado reached out to take Yuna's arm, but Wakka stopped him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka said, eyeing the stranger suspiciously. "What do you think you're doing?"

The Guado, taken aback, stared at the blitzer for a moment, and then said, "Oh, I beg your pardon. I am called Tromell Guado, and I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."

"Business with me? Whatever could it be, I wonder?" Yuna wanted to know.

"Please come inside the manor and all will be explained," Tromell told her. Then he gave the rest of the party a long look, and added, "Of course, your friends are also welcome."

With that, the Guado walked away, and everyone, save Charlie and Rikku, followed him. "Twist our arms, why don't ya?" the Al Bhed muttered under her breath. Then she turned around and noticed that Charlie stood frozen in place, her face pale and eyes wide with fear. "Uh…Charlie? Are you feeling okay?"

"_Oh dear God, NO! Me? Go inside Seymour's house? I'd rather die! But Yuna's going in there, and I'm her guardian, so I have to go, too." _Finally, Charlie realized that Rikku was staring at her, and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little ill, that's all." _"Boy, that's the understatement of the century! I feel like I'm gonna be very sick before long…"_

…

Charlene and Rikku joined the others in the front lobby of Seymour's mansion, and joined them in their silent waiting. "Kimahri not like Maester Seymour," Kimahri rumbled.

"Shh!" Yuna hissed, horrified at her guardian's blunt dismissal of the maester.

After that, the Ronso did not speak again, so Charlie wandered around the room, desperately trying to shake the feeling of unease that hung over her head like a curse. She found Lulu standing on one of the two sets of stairs, looking at some old portraits of various Guado, including one of Seymour. All of them had the same twisted blue "hair" that looked like tree roots, in Charlie's opinion, and pale blue eyes. "They all look the same, don't they?" Charlie commented, curiously studying the paintings.

"Yeah, but Maester Seymour doesn't look like them at all," Wakka said, joining them.

"Didn't you know? The last maester, Lord Jyscal, wed a human woman, and she was Seymour's mother," Lulu replied.

"_So Seymour's only half Guado? It must have sucked being him when he was a kid!"_ Charlie thought, walking back down the stairs. _"It doesn't really matter, though, human or Guado, that bastard still gives me the heebie-jeebies every time I see him!"_

She had just reached the bottom of the stairs when a door leading into the back of the house opened, and Tromell stepped out. "This way, please," he said, beckoning to the party with an inhumanly long finger. They followed the Guado through the door, and into a room filled with tables of various foods and drinks. "I will go inform Lord Seymour that you have arrived, so please wait here."

With that, Tromell left again, and Charlie looked around for a long moment, suppressed the urge to run screaming out of the house, and then turned to talk to Auron. "Stay on your guard," he told her.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" she exclaimed. "Something about this place just doesn't feel right, but I can't tell what it is." She paused, noticing that Auron was watching her carefully, and then continued. "Auron, do you think I'm overreacting? I mean, Seymour's just a priest…isn't he?"

"Those with power use that power," Auron replied. "Maesters have power."

Charlie nodded, turned, and walked away, toward Lulu. "There's no temple in Guadosalam, see?" the black mage said. "Summoners usually just pass through on their way elsewhere."

Charlie blinked for a moment, and then laughed. "Lulu, you should be a teacher, you know?"

"What?"

"You're always explaining things, even when I haven't asked a question!"

"You'd rather I say nothing, then?" Lulu asked, her voice taking an edge.

"No, that's not it!" Charlie protested. "I just mean that you'd be a great teacher, that's all. And…maybe you finally believe what I said about not being from Spira."

"Well…there are many things I do not know, and your home is one of those things. I suppose I can't say what I think either way, but you shouldn't go around telling other people."

"I won't." _"I haven't told that many people to begin with, but somehow, Seymour managed to find out about it. Hell, one of the priests in Besaid probably sent a message ahead of us somehow and that's how that weirdo knew of it."_

Charlene shook off her thoughts with a heavy sigh, and eyed the table filled with various fruits, some familiar and some not. Although Rikku happily munched away on what appeared to be an apple, Charlie didn't have much of an appetite, so she settled for a glass of water instead. The young woman then turned her attention to the ceiling, where three crystal spheres gently pulsed, emitting a peculiar white light. _"What do those things do?"_ she wondered, taking a sip of water. _"Do they do anything special, or are they just a bunch of glorified disco-balls?"_

Just then, Tromell reentered the room, alone, and beamed at everyone. "Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira," Yuna sadly replied.

Curious, Charlie scooted over to Wakka and asked, "Was this Lord Jyscal person really all that?"

"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado," the blitzer replied. "Yep, he truly was a great man."

Tromell turned and looked at them. "Truly a loss for us all," he said, his eyes briefly shadowed by something dark. "But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human, and will be the tie that binds our two races together, but that's not all, I think. Lord Seymour…he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

"That is enough, Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?"

Barely stifling a yelp, Charlie jumped, accidentally dropping her now-empty glass as Seymour sauntered into the room. _"Holy mother of God! How the hell did he sneak up on us like that? Oh wait, there IS a door back there, you paranoid idiot!"_ Suddenly, Charlie realized that everyone was staring at her, and she sheepishly said, "Oops…sorry about that."

Fortunately, the glass didn't break when it hit the floor, so she simply picked it up and set it back on the table. "That is quite all right," Seymour told her, before turning and performing the prayer to everyone. "Welcome!"

"You…wanted to see me?" Yuna asked, sounding unsure of herself.

"Please, make yourselves at home," the Guado smoothly replied. "There's no rush."

"Please keep this short," Auron said, his tone a step away from outright rudeness. "Yuna must rush."

"Pardon me," Seymour said, taking no notice of the guardian's brusque manner. "It has been a long time since I had guests."

"_No shit, Sherlock! I wonder why?"_ Charlie nastily thought.

The maester stepped to one side of the dais and said, "Lady Yuna, this way, please."

Everyone stepped onto the platform, and suddenly, the room disappeared, replaced by the endless depths of space. "Holy cow!" Charlie breathed, her eyes full of wonder as pyreflies streamed by toward a distant galaxy.

The rest of the group, save Kimahri and Auron, made similar fascinated sounds, as Seymour sidled closer to Yuna and said, "This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane."

Suddenly, the scenery changed, transforming from deep space to a huge city filled with people walking the streets. "It's Zanarkand!" Charlie exclaimed as the illusory people passed through her.

"Correct," Seymour replied, thankfully not looking at her. "Zanarkand…as it looked one thousand years ago." As everyone watched the scenery with awe, he continued. "The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand. She once lived in this metropolis."

"She who?" Yuna was confused.

Seymour remained silent as the scenery changed yet again, and the party stood inside a richly decorated bedroom. Sitting on the round bed in the center of the room was a woman with long, white hair, golden eyes, and a blue string bikini made of metal. "Lady Yunalesca!" Yuna exclaimed, apparently recognizing the woman.

"_Good God, she dresses like a two-dollar whore!"_ Charlie thought, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages," Seymour said, smiling down at Yuna, "And you have inherited her name."

"It was my father who named me," Yuna modestly replied.

"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task. He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone. To defeat the undefeatable Sin…" Here, Seymour paused, and then bowed before continuing. "It took an unbreakable bond of love: the kind that binds two hearts for eternity."

Just then, a man in an outlandish blue and gold outfit similar to that of an Aztec priest appeared, walking through Yuna to reach Yunalesca. The ghostly image of the summoner stood up, and she and the strangely dressed man embraced one another as the image faded, turning the room back to normal. Once it was gone, Seymour leaned forward and whispered something into Yuna's ear. Charlie couldn't tell what it was, but knew it couldn't be anything good, judging by the chill that trickled down her spine combined with the startled look on her friend's face. _"What did that creepy bastard say to her?"_ she wondered, as Yuna's face turned a brilliant scarlet.

As the blushing summoner grabbed a glass of water and hurriedly gulped the contents, Charlie and Rikku rushed over to check on her. "Wow! Your face is beet red!" Rikku commented.

"Yuna, are you okay?" Charlie asked. "What did he say to you?"

Yuna spluttered incoherently for a moment, then composed herself and replied, "He…he asked me to marry him!"

"WHAT?" Charlie shrieked, her expression one of horror mingled with disbelief.

"You know what Yuna must do," Auron said, giving Seymour a frosty look.

"Of course," the Guado calmly replied. "Lady Yuna...no, all summoners...are charged with bringing peace to Spira, but this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a maester of Yevon."

"Spira is no playhouse," Auron growled. "A moment's diversion may amuse the audience, but it changes nothing."

"Even so, the actors must play their parts," Seymour replied, the cold flicker in his eyes the only thing betraying his anger. Then he turned to Yuna and gave her a warm, and completely false, smile. "There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over."

Yuna opened her mouth to speak, but Auron interrupted her. "We will do so, then. We leave."

With that, the swordsman turned and walked away, everyone else falling in behind him. _"Wow, this is the angriest I've ever seen Auron get!"_ Charlie thought to herself. _"The aftermath of Operation Mi'ihen didn't piss him off as much as this seems to!"_

"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply," Seymour said, giving Yuna another fake smile. Then he turned to Auron and said, "Why are you still here, sir?" When Auron froze in his tracks, Seymour bowed, and continued, "I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_ Charlie looked at Auron, who, for a moment, looked as if he'd like to cut the Guado down where he stood, but then replaced his "Guardian Mask" and stormed off. _"I don't know what that meant, but I think it pissed him off more than the proposal did!"_ Then she realized that everyone had just left her behind, and she was standing alone in the room with Seymour, who graced her with another one of his soul-freezing, slimy looks before she turned and ran out of the room as fast as she could. _"Oh God, I need to get out of here while I still can, because I REALLY don't want to be an extended recipient of Seymour's brand of 'hospitality'!"_

Charlene caught up to the others outside of the mansion, where they quickly started up a conversation about Yuna and Seymour. "Yuna, the high summoner's daughter…Seymour, the leader of the Guado, married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race," Lulu said, her wine-red eyes thoughtful. "It would give Spira something cheery to talk about, for a change."

"Sounds just like a passin' daydream, like Auron says," Wakka said.

"Let's just get on with this!" Charlie sighed, not liking the topic of discussion. "Wouldn't marriage just complicate things?"

"Jealous?" Rikku teased.

"Hell no! I'd sooner marry a Hypello than that guy!" Charlie spat. Everyone, especially Wakka, gave her another one of those horrified looks, and she added, "We have to beat Sin, so can't romance wait?"

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us!" Wakka sighed, instead of answering her question.

"Maybe it is a fine time," Yuna said.

"What?" Charlie gave her friend a startled look.

"If my getting married would help Spira…if it would make people happy…if I could do that for people…maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this, but I won't answer till I know what's right."

"You could always quit your pilgrimage and get married," Rikku suggested brightly.

"I will…go on. I'm sure that Lord Seymour will understand."

"Um…I guess so," Rikku was doubtful.

"I am a summoner!" Yuna exclaimed, getting to her feet. "I must fight and defeat Sin."

"Like Braska before you," Auron said, finally adding his two cents to the conversation.

Charlene listened to all this, her soul filled with dread. _"Yuna, you can't marry that guy! He's nothing but bad news I just know it! If only I had some kind of proof, if only I could show you, then you would see that Seymour can't be trusted! But I don't have anything, other than what my feelings tell me, but no one's going to take that seriously, so all I can do is just watch…and hopefully be able to protect you when the time comes, my friend."_

"I am going to the Farplane," Yuna announced, snapping Charlie out of her thoughts. "I am going to see my father."

"Go on," Lulu told her, "We'll be right behind you."

…

A little while later, the seven of them made their way down a long, pyrefly-filled corridor and arrived in a huge room with a stairway that led up to a circular opening filled with strangely colored smoke. "Hey, I've got a question!" Charlie said, drawing varying looks from everyone. "Okay, so when a person dies, a summoner sends their soul to the Farplane, so that's like the afterlife, and Yuna's father is there, too, right?" Everyone nodded, so she continued to speak. "But if the Farplane we're going to is the same one that the dead exist on, then wouldn't that mean we'd have to die to get there, too?"

"You're thinking those funny thoughts again, ya?" Wakka asked, giving the shuddering girl a curious look. "You'll see once we get there."

With that, Wakka, Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri turned around and walked up the steps and through the weird smoke. Charlie started to follow them, but then she noticed that Auron had sat down at the edge of the path. "Hey, aren't you coming with us, Auron?" she asked.

"I do not belong there," he replied, not looking at her.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Charlie was surprised. _"I was starting to think nothing scared him!"_

"Searching the past to find the future…this is all that is there. I need it not." Auron waved his hand toward the entrance, still not looking at her. "You'd better be going."

Just then, Rikku walked up and said, "You're not really going to see the dead, more like your memories of them."

"What?" Charlie was confused.

"People think of their relatives and the pyreflies react to them," the Al Bhed explained. "They take on the form of the dead person: an illusion, nothing else." She waved and then brightly said, "Well, have fun!"

"You're not coming either?"

"I keep my memories inside. Memories are nice, but that's all they are."

Charlie shrugged and then walked up the rest of the steps, stopping at the portal to study it carefully. Curious, she reached out and touched the cloud of smoke and it wobbled around her hand almost as if it were water. _"This stuff…it kind of looks like a black rainbow,"_ she mentally noted as she passed through it. The strange fog flowed around her, obscuring everything for a long moment, and then she emerged on the other side, into a world unlike anything she had ever imagined. "Holy hell!" she gasped, looking around.

Charlene now stood on a platform above a vast expanse of thick butter-yellow clouds that swirled around each other like a hurricane. Suddenly, the clouds parted, revealing a huge green field filled with flowers and pyreflies, and hemmed in on nearly all sides by rushing waterfalls. Off in the distance, columns of water rose gracefully into the sky, stretching on to infinity and framing an odd, dark hole surrounding an object that looked like a blue moon. _"My God, this place is insane! It's beautiful, but creepy at the same time,"_ she thought, not liking the oppressive feeling of countless eyes watching her every step. Then she noticed Wakka standing on her right, talking to someone with orange hair, and sadly smiled. _"That must be his brother, Chappu."_

"Yo, Chappu! Meant to come see you earlier, ya? Sorry!" The blitzer bowed apologetically, before continuing to speak. "I know you won't hold it against me. I gave up the game. I'm a guardian from here on, you know?" Wakka paused for a moment, then grinned. "This girl…kinda looks like you…showed up. Traveling with her, I thought, maybe…you were still alive somewhere, ya? But then again, here you are on the Farplane, so I guess your place is here. So how you been?" The ghostly image of Chappu didn't reply, and Wakka, as if just remembering, added, "Oh, that girl I told you about, I gave her your sword. She likes it."

Charlene suddenly heard a faint humming coming from the Brotherhood, so she drew it and stared at it for a moment as the crystal blade flickered from within like light at the bottom of a pool of clear water. _"Wow…so I guess Chappu approves of me having this, then."_ Then, she noticed Lulu standing off to one side, watching Wakka and Chappu, so she put her sword away and joined her. "He is dead, and I am still alive," the black mage said to herself. "Coming here really makes that clear. I should focus more on what I have to do now."

Suddenly, Lulu laughed aloud, and Charlie said, "What is it?"

"I'm not even sure what I'm saying," Lulu sighed, shaking her head.

"Maybe what you mean is that it's time to leave Chappu behind," Charlie suggested. "I'm not saying that you should forget about him completely, just that you should let him go. I'm sure he was a great guy, but there are plenty of others out there." _"As if I'm really one to talk about letting go…"_

"That is a possibility," the mage conceded.

"What about Wakka?"

Lulu gaped at her for a long moment. "Me? With Wakka?"

"Why not? You two seem to get along great!" Charlie said.

"Getting along isn't enough. Not even close."

"No, but it's a start."

Lulu gave Charlie a thoughtful look, but said nothing. The two women stood in silence, watching Wakka continue to talk to his brother's spirit, but finally the black mage said, "Goodbye, Chappu. You always said I looked grumpy, but those were the happiest days of my life."

Charlene turned and walked to where Yuna stood, staring at the ghostly images of her parents. _"They look really happy together."_ "Hey…Yuna?"

"I've decided," Yuna said, not looking at her.

"That's good, I guess."

"I remember when I was only seven years old, in Bevelle that day, my father had defeated Sin, and the whole town was out in the streets. Everyone was laughing. They all seemed so happy. If I defeated Sin, that would make everyone happy…wouldn't it? I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want."

"Well, let's go tell Seymour then."

Yuna nodded, and then said, "But first…why don't you call someone?"

"What?"

"Give it a try!"

"Okay." Charlie stared out at the lovely expanse of the Farplane and softly called, "Hey Marcus, are you out there?"

Pyreflies gathered in the air just beyond the platform, wheeling and pulsing lazily, but then the sky flickered darkly for a brief instant and they stopped. The air grew heavy as more pyreflies appeared, and suddenly, Charlie felt as if she couldn't breathe. _"What's going on?"_ her brain screamed as the feeling of being watched pressed in on her and grew in intensity.

Then the pyreflies flared angrily, and rocketed toward her like a swarm of bees, spinning around her and filling her vision with violent rainbows.

_GET OUT…GET OUT…GET OUT!_

A million enraged voices roared at her, drowning out all other sounds. Charlie stopped trying to bat away the swarm of pyreflies and covered her ears in an attempt to block out the awful noise. "Stop it! Leave me alone!" she screamed, panic filling her voice.

Suddenly, some of the pyreflies stopped swarming and actually flung themselves _inside _her body, and she could feel their anger burning within her like tiny suns.

_GET OUT…GET OUT…GET OUT!_

By this time, Charlene was unaware of anything other than the alien hatred and rage and the furious prisms that shattered, lancing her mind with needles of light. Finally, she let out a long scream of terror and pain as an unseen force lifted her off the ground and hurled her out of the Farplane like a bouncer tossing a drunk out of a bar. Charlie sailed out of the dark fog of the portal, over the heads of a trio of Guado, and landed in a crumpled heap on the stairs near where Auron and Rikku waited. As they all watched, the pyreflies slowly floated out of her body, seemingly satisfied with their work, and drifted back beyond the gate.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood in the empty city again, but this time Jecht was not there. Instead, the little boy in purple stood on the platform, sadly gazing at her. "We were afraid of this," he said, shaking his head.

"What the hell just happened to me?" Charlie demanded.

"The Farplane rejected you," the boy replied.

"Rejected me? Why?"

"Because of what you are," he explained. "Your world and Spira are alike enough to support your existence here, but apparently the Farplane is too different, so it rejected you."

"If you knew about this, then why didn't you tell me to stay out of there?" Charlie yelled.

"We didn't know it was going to happen! It was a possibility, but only that," the boy sighed.

Charlie wanted to pick the boy up and shake him, but fought back the urge and asked, "Well what now?"

"We have another problem. You see, now that we know that the Farplane won't accept you, we're not sure what will happen to you if you die."

"What do you mean you don't know?" she shrieked.

"Originally, we thought that if something happened to you, then you could be sent to the Farplane, just as any other person could, but since the Farplane rejected you, anything could happen. The best possible scenario is that you'll become an unsent…"

"And the worst?"

"Your soul will vanish and it will be as if you never existed. Either way, we won't be able to send you home again if you die." He watched her stunned expression for a moment before continuing. "Now that you know this, Charlie, I also have to tell you that we can send you home now, if you wish."

"_They can send me home?"_ "Wait! If I go home now…what'll happen to the others?"

"We don't know. Charlie, you don't have to stay here if you really want to leave, but we need your help."

"Wait, you keep saying 'we', but you're the only one here! Who is 'we'?"

"The others. You've spoken with several of them already, back in the temples, remember?"

Charlie nodded, and said, "So you just speak for the group, huh?"

"Yes. So…will you stay? I have to warn you though, if you decide to stay, you'll have to see this through to the end. We won't be able to send you home before that."

"_This may be my one chance to go home! But if I take it…terrible things could happen, and people could get hurt, or even killed!"_ Charlie shook herself out of her thoughts and said, "Yuna and the others…they're my friends. I can't just leave them if there's a chance I could help them. I'm going to stay."

The little boy nodded, and replied, "Charlie…thank you."

…_Flash…_

Charlene awoke, not really remembering what she just dreamt, only that it involved the little boy in purple. Blinking owlishly, she looked around and realized that she was lying on the stairs that led to the Farplane. Suddenly, she saw a moving flash of red out of the corner of her eye, and following it, she saw Auron drop to his knees, his face twisted with pain. "Auron? Auron, what's wrong?" Charlie asked, scooting over to him.

The older guardian looked at her, but did not seem to see her, his eye filled with real, gut-wrenching fear. _"Oh my God! He looks like he's freaking out! What the hell is going on?"_ Charlie looked up at the others, but they all had their attention on something near the Farplane gate, so she turned back to Auron, who had closed his eye and ground his teeth to keep from crying out. Not knowing what else to do, Charlie leaned forward, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered, "Hey, it's all right."

Almost instinctively, Auron clung to her, as if she was the only life preserver available in a storm-tossed sea, and she let him. "I can't…" he whispered, his breath coming in ragged gasps, "I can't…not yet!"

"_He can't? Can't what?"_ Charlie didn't ask her questions, instead continuing to hold him until he finally relaxed and pulled away from her. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, watching him carefully.

Auron blinked at her for a moment, and then gave her a strange look she couldn't identify before getting to his feet. She got to her feet, too, just as everyone turned around from their activity, and Auron barked, "Talk later. We leave now."

Wordlessly, the group followed him, Charlie trailing behind them deep in thought. _"What in bloody friggin' hell happened back there? Auron looked like he was in so much pain! It scared me so much…but why? And what in the world was I thinking, holding him like that?"_

"_Maybe it's because you l…"_

Charlene quickly slammed a mental door on that annoying little voice and snarled, _"You shut the hell up! I DO NOT feel that way about him, and even if I did, it'd most likely just be some stupid infatuation! The 'L' word is NOT involved."_

"_Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt you know."_

With that, the little voice fell silent, and Charlie rushed to catch up to the others, muttering foul obscenities under her breath.

…

A few minutes later, the party walked back down the pyrefly-filled road and discussed the recent disturbing events. "Wh…what was that just now?" Wakka stammered, his face gone pale beneath his tan. "That really Lord Jyscal?"

"Lord Jyscal? What are you talking about?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Lord Jyscal's soul tried to escape from the Farplane!" the blitzer explained. "It happened while you were still out of it."

"I don't understand how a man like Lord Jyscal could die and not be sent," Yuna said, her two-colored eyes troubled.

"I would think he was sent once…but he stayed on Spira," Lulu replied. "Something, a powerful emotion, could have bound him to this world. Such things happen."

"That's against the rules, isn't it?" Rikku nervously asked.

"It means he died an unclean death," Auron said, with all the finality of an execution in his voice.

"You mean he was murdered?" Charlie said. _"And I bet I know who did it, too."_

No one answered her. A few minutes later, the party reentered Guadosalam in somber silence, disturbed by what they just witnessed. They headed back to the manor to speak with Seymour again, with Charlie resolutely ignoring the odd looks the Guado sent her way. "Did you hear about what happened to that one human in Lady Yuna's group?" a Guado woman whispered to her companion.

"Yes, apparently she went into the Farplane, and it threw her back out again," her companion replied. "I heard it from Ven right before he went to tell Lord Seymour about it!"

"What kind of monster is she, that the Farplane won't even take her?" the woman wondered aloud, knowing perfectly well that Charlie could hear her.

"Maybe that's why Lord Jyscal appeared. Maybe he threw her out of the Farplane…"

"_Let them say whatever they want,"_ Charlie told herself, resolutely ignoring the pain those words brought. _"I don't care! What do a bunch of stupid elves know, anyway? The only thing that bothers me is that Seymour knows about it now."_

Finally, they reached the mansion, and Yuna announced, "I will go…meet with Maester Seymour."

The summoner started to walk away, but then Auron called, "Yuna! Jyscal is the Guado's problem, not yours."

She ignored him, however, and entered the house alone. No one else made a move to follow her, so Charlie, despite her unease, didn't either and chose to talk to Lulu instead. "Hey, Lulu, what do you think of Yuna getting married?"

"As long as the pilgrimage continues, either way is fine," Lulu replied, sedately walking away.

"But what if she doesn't even like him?" Charlie countered, following her. "Is it fine if she goes off and marries someone she doesn't even love?"

"Sometimes, marriage doesn't require love, you know?" The mage stopped and faced her. "Defeat Sin, and bring joy to the people of Spira. Get married, and bring joy to the people of Spira. For Yuna, they're just two ways down the same road. All you need is determination. If you have that, you don't need love."

With that, Lulu walked away, leaving Charlie alone with her thoughts. _"You don't need love? That may be true, but if you're going to marry someone, you should at least like them, I should think…and you should be able to trust them, too. I'm no mind-reader, but I think, deep down, Yuna doesn't like OR trust that creepy bastard."_

Charlene wandered around Guadosalam for a while, before approaching Lulu again in front of the manor. "Listen, if Yuna gets married, I…" Here, Lulu paused. "I would want her to marry for love…but love isn't always the best answer, especially for someone in her position."

"So she should just marry someone she might not even like? That doesn't make sense!" Charlie said.

"I know."

The two women stared at each other for a long moment, and Charlie said, "Hey, Lulu…"

"I've talked enough about that," the mage waspishly replied.

"Grouchy, aren't we?"

"You'll understand one of these days. I just don't want to give it words…not yet."

Lulu walked away again, and Charlie just shook her head and sighed. _"Does she always make everything more convoluted than it has to be?"_

Aggravated, the young woman wandered around the city again, and ran into Shelinda as the acolyte headed down a tunnel leading out of Guadosalam. "Was the lady summoner not with you?" Shelinda asked.

"Eh…she's at Seymour's house right now," Charlie replied, barely keeping the disgust out of her voice.

"That's 'Maester Seymour', or 'Lord Seymour'," Shelinda corrected.

"Right. Sorry."

"That's quite all right." The acolyte smiled. "Maester Seymour left Guadosalam a short while ago."

"Really?" _"Hot damn! The bastard ain't here!"_

"I believe he went to the temple in Macalania. Maester Seymour is also the high priest of that temple, you know."

Charlie started at that, but quickly recovered and said, "Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go tell the others."

Charlie ran back to where the rest of the group, minus Yuna, waited, and said, "Hey, Seymour's not here anymore!"

"How do you know that?" Wakka wanted to know.

"I ran into that Shelinda girl as she was leaving the city, and she said that Seymour left a little while ago."

At this news, Rikku ran inside the manor, and came back a moment later with Yuna right behind her. "Yes, what is it?" the summoner asked.

"Seymour went to some temple in Macarena," Charlie told her.

"Macalania," Wakka absently corrected. "What I don't get is why would the lord maester head off with out a peep to anyone?"

"Maybe he wasn't expecting Yuna's answer so soon," Rikku theorized.

"Ah, that's probably it."

Just then, Yuna let out a short laugh, one that sounded forced and nervous. "Yuna, what is it?" Auron asked, speaking for the first time since they left the Farplane Road.

"Oh, nothing."

"Hmm…you're a poor liar," Auron replied, giving her a penetrating look.

"It's true! It's nothing!" Yuna protested, flushing slightly. Then she turned and walked away. "Come on, let's go."

If Auron was upset by Yuna's refusal to tell him anything, he did a great job of hiding it as he and the others moved to catch up to the retreating summoner. Charlie, wondering about their next destination, asked, "Hey, where are we going now?"

"The Thunder Plains!" Wakka replied, smiling broadly.

"The Thunder Plains? Why do they call them that?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Charlie shrugged and fell in step behind the others, but stopped when she heard Rikku let out a squeak similar to that of a frightened mouse. "Uh…Rikku, are you okay?"

The Al Bhed gave her a startled look and said, "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Charlene stared at Rikku as she ran away, thinking, "What's wrong with her?_ She looks like she's about to wet her pants or something! The Thunder Plains aren't that bad…are they?"_


	20. Thunder Plains

Chapter 20: Thunder Plains

The Thunder Plains definitely deserved their name, as they were a barren wasteland locked in perpetual twilight as black storm clouds raced overhead. Lightning flashed, illuminating the seemingly endless plain with harsh light as it struck the huge steel towers dotting the lifeless landscape. "Oh no…we're here," Rikku whimpered, cowering in fear.

Another bolt of lightning flashed overhead, and the Al Bhed girl shrieked, covering her head with her hands. Charlie looked at her for a moment, and then stared out at the wasteland as a gust of cold, rain-laden wind whipped through the area. "How in the name of all that is holy are we supposed to get across that?" she demanded, apprehension coloring her voice.

"See the lightning rod towers?" Lulu asked. "The lightning is drawn to them…hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"We head north, not too near and not too far from the towers, ya?" Wakka added.

"Meaning we should avoid wide open areas," Lulu finished.

Just then, another bolt of lightning lit up the skies overhead, followed by a loud peal of thunder. Rikku shrieked again, and then said, "I think I left something in Guadosalam."

"Nice knowing you," Auron said flatly.

"Okay, okay, I'll go!" she relented, knees visibly shaking.

The group slowly picked their way across the Thunder Plains, their general silence punctuated by Rikku's yelps of terror as the lightning continued to rip through the sky. Suddenly, Yuna stopped walking just as they reached another of the steel towers, and said, "Charlie…what happened back there?"

"You mean in the Farplane?" Charlie gave the summoner a troubled look, and said, "I'm not really sure. I don't really remember much after I tried to call Marcus."

"Wait! Who's Marcus?" Rikku wanted to know, flinching at a loud crack of thunder.

"_Oh God, I was hoping they wouldn't ask me this!"_ "Marcus was a friend of mine, back in Greenwood. Two years ago, there was an accident…and he died." _"Accident? Yeah right! It was all my fault that it happened!"_ She shook her head and sighed. "It was stupid of me to try and call him. We don't have summoners and sendings where I'm from, so of course he wasn't in the Farplane!"

"Don't say that," Yuna softly replied. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to see your friend again."

"_There's nothing wrong with it, except that I should have been the one who died instead of him. No one would have missed me…"_ Charlie shied away from those thoughts and said, "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to talk about this right now."

Before anyone could say anything else, a fiend resembling a large suit of armor emerged from behind the tower and lashed out at the party with an insanely large sword that made Auron's look like a pocketknife in comparison. Charlie narrowly avoided the hulking brute's blow, and then quickly dashed inside its reach to deliver one of her own. Her blade struck the creature with a hollow, almost bell-like sound, but barely left a scratch on its skin. _"What the…"_ Charlene did not even finish her thought before the weird metal giant reached out, grabbed her, and slammed her into the ground, driving the breath from her body and most likely cracking several ribs in the process. The world stretched off into the far distance, seen only through a tunnel of gray pain that slowly turned into the dark void of unconsciousness.

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood in the middle of a road made of banana-yellow bricks, wondering where she was, before realizing that she wore a sky blue dress and sparkly red slippers. "Where the hell am I?" she snarled to no one while pulling the pretty blue ribbons out of her hair.

Just then, a shiny metal version of Auron strolled up to her, clanking and creaking like a rusty screen door in a high wind, and said, "We're on the Yellow Brick Road, remember? You said that you would help me find a heart."

Charlie gaped at Tin Auron for a long moment, but before she could ask him what he was talking about, Wakka appeared, dressed in rags with straw sticking out everywhere. "You also said you'd help me find a brain, ya?"

"You're both crazy!" Charlie shouted, as the two men grabbed her arms and dragged her down the road, skipping merrily all the while.

Wakka and Auron continued their happy, noisy skipping for a while, still dragging Charlie along behind them, until they ran into Kimahri, who had somehow transformed from the tough Ronso warrior she knew to a walking plush doll. "Kimahri, what happened to you?" she asked, staring at him with a look of horror warring with amusement.

The Ronso turned around and gave the three of them a fearful look. "Kimahri needs courage. Will you help Kimahri?"

"Of course we will!" Wakka said, taking Kimahri's hand. "We're going to see the Wizard. He can do _anything_!"

Happy, but still shivering in fear, Kimahri nodded and joined the trio as they continued to skip down the Yellow Brick Road. "Let go of me, goddamn it!" Charlie yelled. "I never said I was going anywhere with any of you, so LET…ME…GO!"

Suddenly, a plume of red smoke appeared in the middle of the path, accompanied by the most god-awful cackling ever heard by mortal ears. "Oh no!" Kimahri cried, cowering in terror.

"It's her!" Auron gasped, his slight rattling betraying his fear.

"Who?" Charlie demanded.

"The Wicked Witch of the West!" Wakka yelled, shaking in his tattered boots.

The smoke cleared, and Lulu appeared, wearing a pointy hat, an ugly fake nose, and riding a broomstick that looked to be at least a century old. Perched on the back of the broom was Rikku, only the Al Bhed now had wings, a monkey tail, and a fez that perfectly matched her pink tank top. Lulu the Wicked Witch sneered at Charlie, cackled again, and yelled, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

…_Flash…_

"I don't have a goddamn dog!" Charlie shouted, coming wide-awake all at once. Just then, she realized Auron was carrying her, and she said, "Hey, you're normal! Well…as normal as you ever are, anyway."

"Can you walk?" he asked, ignoring her comment.

"I don't know. Put me down and we'll find out."

Auron set her down, and she walked around, stiffly, but not in any real pain. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"About half an hour," Wakka said. "You kept mumbling as if you were really upset, ya?"

"I just had a crazy dream, that's all. I'm fine now, so let's get going."

With that, the party set off down the path again, dodging thunderbolts with varying degrees of success and facing numerous fiends. Eventually, they found Shelinda taking a break under another of the lightning towers, and stopped to speak with her. "Ah, good day!" she said, performing the prayer gesture.

"What's up?" Charlie replied with a cheerful wave.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"I heard that Maester Seymour and Lady Yuna are to be wed! I have to tell everyone the great news!"

"Who the hell told you that?" Charlie demanded, barely concealing her disgust.

"The Guado told me," Shelinda replied, "They were all very excited!"

"Yeah, well they got you excited for nothing then, since Yuna's turning him down."

"Oh…really?" Charlie nodded, and the little acolyte hung her head in disappointment. "I see…that's unfortunate. Well, I'm sure people would have rejoiced all over Spira."

Saddened by the news, Shelinda shuffled dejectedly off into the gloom, and Lulu said, "Charlie, why did you tell her that?"

"I was just kidding! I didn't think she would get all upset like that! Besides, Yuna hasn't even made her decision yet, so it's not like I lied to her."

…

Some time later, the gang passed by the last tower of that part of the Thunder Plains, just as a pair of lightning bolts struck it. "Jesus friggin' Christ!" Charlie swore, covering her ears as the subsequent thunder shook the air around them.

"That was a close one!" Wakka laughed.

"Stop kidding around," Lulu snapped, walking away.

"Yes ma'am," the blitzer replied, sounding much like a scolded schoolboy.

Everyone started to walk off, but then Rikku stopped and chuckled nervously. "Heh heh heh heh…"

"Hmm?" Curious, Wakka stopped and turned around. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Heh heh heh heh…" Rikku chuckled again.

"Rikku, would you cut that out?" Charlie complained. "You're giving me the willies!"

Just then, another bolt of lightning struck the nearby tower, and Rikku shrieked, dropping to the ground and covering her ears. "Hey, are you okay?" Charlie asked as everyone warily eyed the Al Bhed.

Suddenly, Rikku sprang to life, skittering across the distance on her hands and knees like some kind of weird spider, and wrapped herself around Charlie's leg. "Hey, get off me!" Charlie yelled while trying to dislodge the panicked Al Bhed.

"I wanna go home!" Rikku cried, clinging to Charlie like an animate burr. "I hate lightning! I hate thunder!" She let go of her "sanctuary" for a moment and pointed at the building ahead of them. "Let's go rest over there! Please?"

"This storm never stops," Auron impassively replied. "Better to cross quickly."

"I know, but…just for a little while?"

Auron sighed and walked away with the others, leaving Charlie to try to catch up with a whimpering Rikku still wrapped around her leg. "Hey, don't leave me here!" the young woman yelled, limping along behind them.

Finally, she caught up to the others just outside the building, which turned out to be another branch of Rin's Travel Agency. "Pretty please? Just a few minutes?" Rikku begged, as everyone walked past the building. However, they ignored her, and she said, "I'm scared of lightning! Let's rest, please? Pretty please?" They continued to ignore her. "I'm too young to die!" she wailed. "You're mean…cruel! Your moms would be ashamed of you!" They stopped and turned around. "Are you having fun doing this to me?"

"Fine, we rest," Auron said, glowering at Rikku as if he'd like to throttle her. "She's worse than the storm."

"Woohoo!" the Al Bhed cheered, finally releasing Charlie's leg and racing inside.

The rest of the group followed her, and Charlene noted that the interior of the Travel Agency was the same as the one on the Mi'ihen Highroad. "I'm…a little tired," Yuna said to the clerk at the counter. "Do you have a room available?"

"Yes, over this way, Lady Summoner," the clerk replied, pointing to the door near the counter.

"Thank you."

Yuna bowed to the clerk, and then went to her room without a word to anyone. "Uh, Yuna?" Wakka called, surprised at her behavior.

"It's not like her," Lulu said, her expression full of concern.

Charlie started to go check on Yuna, but then noticed Rikku cowering and looking like she was about to dive under the nearby table at any moment. "Rikku…is it really that scary for you?" she asked.

"When I was little, a fiend attacked me while I was swimming at the beach. My brother tried to beat it back with a spell…" Just then, a crack of thunder rattled the windows and Rikku shrieked. "But he missed and hit me instead! It was a Thunder spell: 'Bzzzt!'"

"Damn, that must've hurt!" Charlie winced sympathetically.

"I've been scared of lightning ever since," Rikku added forlornly.

"But…it can be effective," Lulu said, turning around to look at the two girls. "Magic is effective against marine fiends."

"My brother said that, too."

"You should learn some spells too," the mage began, but when another flash of lightning sent Rikku diving under the table, she sighed, "Hmm…maybe later."

"Hey, can I take you up on that offer?" Charlie asked.

Lulu nodded, but before she could say anything else, Rin emerged from the door to the back and beamed at everyone. "Nice to see you again. Welcome to the Rin Travel Agency." Suddenly, he stopped and stared at Rikku, who had just crawled out from under the table. "Oh?"

"Shh!" Rikku hissed, nodding her head toward an oblivious Wakka.

"Hmm…" Then Rin noticed Charlie standing there, and asked, "How goes your study of our language?"

"Actually, I'm doing pretty well," the young woman replied.

"That is good to hear." Rin walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a red book. "Allow me to present you with this book for your study."

Charlie looked at the title, which read "Intermediate Al Bhed", and said, "Thank you very much."

Rin nodded, and then stopped and stared at Auron, who was busy inspecting some of the merchandise. "I wonder…would that be Sir Auron, by any chance?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"As I thought! I've been wondering since I saw him at the Mi'ihen Highroad branch." The Al Bhed walked up to the guardian and called, "Sir Auron! I wonder if you remember me. Ten years ago? At the beginning of Lord Braska's Calm?"

Auron turned around and nodded. "Yes. I should thank you."

"Not at all. I could not leave a wounded man to die." Rin stopped and gave Auron a suspicious look. "However, I was surprised when I saw you gone the next morning, with that wound. An ordinary man would not have been able to walk."

"_What? Are they talking about that scar on his shoulder? It DID look pretty bad, now that I think about it."_

"I'd rather…drop that subject, Rin," Auron said, turning away again.

"As you wish."

As Rin walked away, Charlie stared at Auron's back, thinking, _"He's hiding something, I just know it. It's not my business though, unless he decides to tell me, so I'll just leave him alone for now. Anyway, I think I'll go check on Yuna now."_

Charlene walked down the hallway, stopping outside Yuna's door. She raised her hand to knock on it, but stopped when she realized that the voice she heard a man's voice in there. _"What the hell? Does Yuna have a MAN in there? I didn't know she had a boyfriend!"_ Curious, the young woman tiptoed closer to the door, but then let out a startled yelp as it opened, unceremoniously dumping her on the floor. "Well that was definitely unpleasant," she grumbled, getting to her feet. "Sorry about that, Yuna. I just heard strange voices, so I was worried about you." She stopped and looked at the tiny image of a Guado hovering above a sphere on the nearby table. "Hey, who is that?"

"This is an image of Lord Jyscal," Yuna replied, turning off the sphere. "The sphere is his will…it says 'Take care of my son.'"

"Seymour? I could think of a couple ways to take care of him." _"Such as bashing his damn head in with something heavy!"_

"I'm sorry," Yuna replied, hurrying out of the room.

"_Something's really wrong here!"_ Charlie thought, warily eyeing the sphere. Before she could pick it up, however, someone walked up behind her and put their hands on her shoulders, scaring the daylights out of her. "GAAAH!" she yelled, turning around and glaring at Wakka. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing, ya?" Wakka said. "Why are you back here spying on her?"

"I wasn't spying!" Charlie indignantly replied. "Yuna was acting really weird, so I…"

"Yeah, yeah!" the blitzer cut her off. "She'll tell us when she's ready, so hold your chocobos till then, ya?"

"All right already! Damn!" Charlie cursed under her breath for a few moments as he led her out of the room. "God, you nearly gave me a heart attack, you know that?"

Wakka grinned sheepishly, and said, "Sorry!"

…

The Thunder Plains branch of the Travel Agency didn't have any other current guests, so everyone got their own room to sleep in for once, which made Charlie very happy. She had just finished setting all her things down for the night and started on her new book, when Lulu knocked on the door. "Charlie, can I come in?"

"Sure," she replied, opening the door for the mage. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"Earlier, you asked if I would teach you some spells…do you still wish to learn them."

Charlie blinked, confused for a moment, and then replied, "Yeah, if I'm actually capable of learning any, since we don't have your kind of magic where I'm from."

"All right then. Follow me."

Charlene followed Lulu outside the Travel Agency, where she asked, "Why did we come out here, Lulu?"

"I don't think Rin would appreciate us practicing magic inside, do you?" she replied.

"You have a point." Charlie looked around at the desolation, which was currently between rainstorms, and asked, "So we'll work out here where there's less risk of starting a fire or something?"

Lulu nodded and said, "Shall we get started?"

A couple of hours and countless frustrating tries later, Charlie learned two things: the only element she could call was Fire, and the spell was incredibly weak. "Fire!" she yelled again, pointing at the nearby rock they were using for target practice. A faint flicker of flame burst into life around the stone, but died just as quickly as it appeared. "Damn, I really suck," she muttered under her breath.

"You picked up the theory faster than I had expected…" Lulu began, after Charlie finally stopped cursing under her breath, "But I think all you're going to be capable of learning are the small magics. I'm sorry, Charlie, but there's really nothing more I can teach you."

"That's okay, you did your best and I really appreciate it," the young woman sighed, swallowing her disappointment. "Even what little magic I have is more than what anyone else back home has, so there's no point in complaining. Hey, at least I'll be able to start a campfire without a lighter now!"

Lulu chuckled at that, and said, "We're getting up early tomorrow, so get some sleep while you can."

Charlene nodded in agreement, and the two of them walked the short distance back to the Travel Agency, just as it started to rain again. Before either of them could open the door, however, it opened on its own, and Auron stepped out, giving both women appraising looks. "Taking magic lessons are we?" he asked Charlie while stepping aside to let Lulu pass.

"Yeah, so?" she defiantly replied. "Is that a problem?"

"How did you do?"

"Not good, that's for sure!" Charlie eyed the practice swords Auron carried, and then asked, "Time for more torture already?"

"You're not afraid of a little rain, are you?"

For a long moment, Charlie seriously considered saying yes, just to see what kind of reaction the swordsman would give her, but finally decided against it, since he'd probably beat her with the flat side of one of the practice blades if she did. "No, I'm not one of those people who think they'll melt if they get wet."

"Good." Auron handed her one of the swords and said, "Now let's begin."

The "fight" carried on for some time, and Charlie, already tired from practicing magic, felt completely exhausted. Despite her fatigue, she managed to fend off several more of Auron's blows before he finally unarmed her and knocked her down again "Surrender," he told her, smirking as he pointed his practice blade at her.

"_He thinks he's won, does he?" _she snarled inwardly._ "Well, I've got a surprise for him!"_

Summoning up the last of her magic, the young guardian cast another pathetic Fire spell into the air between them, surprising Auron long enough for her to unleash a rather absurd looking attack involving lots of flailing around like a landed fish. One of her kicks connected, barely missing certain vital areas of her opponent's anatomy, throwing off his balance long enough for her to aim another kick much lower and knock him to the ground. Charlie then scrambled across the muddy ground, trying to get to his blade since she didn't know where hers was, but Auron caught her by the ankle and dragged her away from it. They wrestled around for a few minutes, ending up in some rather awkward positions as Charlie struggled to get free and Auron tried to immobilize her. After several escape attempts that included hair-pulling and biting, she managed to get loose and grab his practice blade, but it didn't do her much good, since he managed to pull her feet out from under her, causing her to drop it.

Charlie dove for the sword again, but missed as Auron shoved her aside in his own attempt to get to it. The young woman got to her feet again at the same time he did, and just barely evaded the strike he aimed at her head. _"What the hell? Is he trying to kill me?"_

Auron kept striking at her, and she kept jumping out of the way, not realizing that he was leading her into a trap. Finally, Charlie jumped back one too many times and slammed backward into the wall of the Travel Agency. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, the swordsman put on a burst of speed and pinned her against the building. She made a desperate grab for the sword, but he managed to catch her wrists with his free hand and pulled them down, leaning on her to keep her from getting away from the wall. Then she tried to trip him by tangling her legs with his, but he just continued bearing down on her, until she was completely trapped. The young woman continued struggling however, until he finally laid the practice blade against her throat and asked, "Now do you surrender?"

"Damn it!" she spat, frustrated at her loss. "You only won this time because I kept from kicking you in the balls!" _"And I only did that because I like being alive at the moment!"_

"You have my eternal gratitude," Auron wryly replied, quite amused by Charlie's unorthodox fighting tactics. "Your defense is still sloppy, but you've somewhat improved."

Auron had lowered the practice blade and loosened his grip on her wrists, but hadn't let go of Charlie during the conversation, instead keeping her pinned against the wall, but it didn't bother her for some reason. The older guardian wasn't wearing his collar and had lost his sunglasses sometime during the fight, giving her a completely unhindered view of his face for the first time. _"My God, he's gorgeous…even with that scar!"_ She shut her eyes against the sudden and nearly overwhelming urge to just lean forward and close the gap between them. _"No, no, and NO! He'd kill me if I did, I just know it!"_ She swallowed, hard, and then opened her eyes and said, "Auron, can I ask you a question?"

The swordsman started, apparently lost in his own thoughts, but nodded and slowly backed away from her, a faint ghost of reluctance crossing his face as he finally let go of her wrists. _"I didn't just see that, did I? Nah, it couldn't be. It was just a trick caused by the flickering of all the lightning in the distance."_ Charlie quickly shook her head, as if trying to clear it, and asked, "What happened to you outside the Farplane?"

"Nothing," he replied, not looking at her.

"Nothing? Nothing, my foot! I'm not blind, Auron! You were in so much pain, and you said you couldn't do something yet! What can't you do?" The swordsman didn't say anything, nor did he look at her, so she finally threw up her hands in disgust. "You know what? You can just keep your friggin' secrets! I don't care anymore!"

With that, Charlie started to storm away, but then Auron said, "It was an old injury that pains me sometimes." _"And that's all you need to know."_

She turned around and gave him a suspicious look. "An injury? The one you and Rin were discussing earlier?"

"Why did you lie to Yuna about the Farplane?" Auron suddenly asked, completely changing the subject.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Charlie flatly replied. Auron turned and raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. Finally, unable to stand the look he was giving her, she said, "Okay, I sort of lied to her, when I said I didn't really remember what happened, but I really didn't…at first."

"What happened in there?"

"Pushy, aren't we?" she muttered. "Anyway, as I said before, I tried to call Marcus…but he didn't show up. Instead, a lot of those pyrefly-things appeared and attacked me." Charlie's voice faded to a whisper as she shivered in fear. "I heard all these angry voices yelling at me, telling me to get out, and then some of the pyreflies actually flew inside my body! Auron…I could actually _feel_ their anger and hatred, and it felt like they were trying to burn me from within! I thought they were going to rip my soul to pieces! I think they didn't throw me out until I finally fainted, because I don't remember passing back through the Farplane Gate. I think…I think I may have died for a moment, too."

"You almost did," Auron told her. "You stopped breathing and you didn't start again until the pyreflies left your body. Yuna was afraid she would have to send you."

"It wouldn't have worked," Charlie sighed, not looking at him. "While I was out of it, I had a dream. I was in a place that looked like Zanarkand, but the only person there, besides me, was one of the others…one of the people who brought me here. He said that the Farplane rejected me because I'm not from Spira, and that because of it, he didn't know what would happen if I died. So now…if I die here in Spira…I'll either become an unsent, or my soul will disappear forever. I didn't want to tell anyone any of this, because I don't want anyone to worry about me. If something happens to me, and my soul doesn't disappear…" She turned to face him again. "If that happens, I want you to promise to get Yuna away from me. I'll try to keep from becoming a fiend, if I can, but if I fail, you have to get everyone away from me so can't hurt them!"

"_She says this as if she fully expects to die…and the way she says unsent…she must not realize that it's not the same as becoming a fiend."_

"Auron, you have to promise!" Charlie snapped, bringing him back to reality. "And don't you dare give me some corny line about protecting me! You have to protect Yuna, not a weirdo like me! Either you promise me this, or I'll just go tell Kimahri everything and get the promise from him!"

"_You would, wouldn't you?"_ Auron stared at her, and finally said, "Fine. I give you my word."

Satisfied, Charlie gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get cleaned up and go to bed."

The young woman turned and went back inside, her prying question forgotten for the moment. Auron waited until he heard the door close, and then let out a gusty sigh before searching for his glasses and the other practice blade. He actually managed to find both rather quickly, but he continued standing in the rain anyway, letting the storm wash over him. _"What was I thinking, holding on to her like that? I should have just let her go as soon as she surrendered."_ His body had other ideas about what he should have done, but he resolutely ignored them. _"I can't feel that way about anyone, least of all her. I'm leaving after all of this is over, so I can't let myself get attached to anyone…"_

…

The next morning, Charlene rejoined her comrades in the front room of the Travel Agency, and noticed that Rikku was once again shivering in fear. "It's not stopping, is it?" the Al Bhed whimpered.

"Don't tell me you were hoping it would," Auron snapped as another crack of thunder caused Rikku to shriek in terror. "Fine. Stay here."

With that, the swordsman stalked out of the building into the rain, clearly aggravated by the delay in their departure. "All right already," Rikku yelled at his back. "But you didn't have to say it like that, you know! You could be more comforting…you know, try and cheer me up? You just don't get me at all, do you?" Then she noticed he was ignoring her. "Hey, are you listening?" She started to run after him, but stopped and cringed as more thunder roared overhead. "I'm not scared! I'm not scared, you hear?"

Rikku finally gathered her courage and rushed out after Auron, and everyone quickly followed her. _"Sorry Rikku, but getting anything out of Auron is about as easy as breaking a brick wall with your head!"_ Charlie thought to herself as she walked out the door. She arrived outside just in time to see a strange man in yellow and blue run by, snap a picture of the group with his camera, and run off again into the rainy gloom. "Okay…that was really weird," she said as everyone stared after him.

No one responded, and the seven of them continued their hazardous trek through the Thunder Plains. They battled more fiends along the way, and were near the exit, when Yuna stopped and said, "Everyone…wait."

"What's up?" Wakka asked, as the group came to a halt.

"I have something to tell you."

"Here?" Lulu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"We're almost out of here! Let's go!" Rikku cried, anxious to get away from all the lightning.

"I have to say it now."

Auron looked around for a moment, and then spotted the ruins of an old building off to the side. "Over there," he said, starting toward the unusual structure.

Everyone followed him, not wanting lightning to hit them while they stood in the open field. _"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what Yuna's about to tell us?"_ Charlie wondered, trailing along behind the rest of the group. When they got under the dubious shelter of the ruins, Yuna waited until she had their attention again, and said, "I've decided to marry."

"I thought so," Lulu said, as everyone else stared at her in dumbfounded silence.

"_Jesus Christ, Yuna! Why are you going to marry that bastard? Are you out of your gourd? If you have to marry someone, then why don't you marry someone you can trust, like Wakka, or Auron, or Kimahri? Okay, marrying Kimahri would be a little too much, but you can marry a goddamn shoopuf for all I care, just don't marry Seymour!" _

A crack of thunder snapped everyone out of their stupor, as well as making Rikku cringe, and Wakka finally stammered, "B-but why? Why'd you change your mind?"

"For Spira's future…and Yevon's unity," Yuna replied. "I thought it would be the right thing to do."

"That's not good enough," Auron said.

"Wait, is it…" Lulu stopped to gather her thoughts. "Is it because of Lord Jyscal?"

"Hey, that's the guy on that sphere, isn't it?" Charlie asked.

Everyone stopped and stared at her as if she'd just barked like a dog. Finally, Auron walked up to Yuna and said, "Show me."

"I can't," the summoner replied, shaking her head. "I must speak to Maester Seymour first. I truly am sorry, but this is…it's a personal matter."

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka said in disbelief.

"As you wish," Auron told her, turning away.

"I'm sorry."

"Just one thing."

"I won't quit my pilgrimage," she assured him.

"Then it is…fine."

Auron started to walk away, but Charlie jumped out in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders to stop him. "What do you mean, 'it's fine'? Don't you care? Aren't you going to stop her?"

"No, I'm not," he replied, pulling away from her. "As long as she is willing to face Sin, all else is her concern. That is a summoner's privilege, as long as she journeys."

Charlie looked at Wakka, who just nodded in agreement, and then shook her head and sighed. _"This isn't right, and you damn well know it! This is all a huge mistake and it'll end up biting us in the ass in the end, just wait and see!"_

"Yuna, just one question," Wakka said, approaching the summoner. "Can't you just talk to Maester Seymour? You've got to marry him?"

"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head, "But I think it is the right thing to do."

"Okay, I guess." Wakka was doubtful.

Just then, Rikku walked up and put her hands on Yuna's shoulders. "Yunie…" she began, but then a bolt of lightning cut her off. "Quiet!" she shouted up at the uncaring sky. Then she turned back to Yuna and said, "I wish we could help somehow, some way!"

"It's okay…" Yuna replied, laying her hand atop one of Rikku's. "I'll be fine."

Charlie watched all this with a feeling of impending doom, as if an avalanche hovered just six inches above her head, but hadn't decided to fall on her…yet. Before she could say anything, however, Auron turned back into the self-appointed leader of the group and said, "Next, we're going to Macalania Temple. Yuna can talk with Seymour there. We guardians will wait until they're done, and plan our next move. Understood?"

Charlie started to open her mouth, but quickly shut it again, when Auron gave her "The Look". As they headed off again, she glared at the swordsman's back, thinking, _"You say you don't care if she gets married? Well, what the hell are you going to do if she decides to fire us all and just take Seymour and whoever else on the pilgrimage instead? Are you just going to stalk them all over the damn place? I hope you've got a better plan than that, because I get the feeling that Seymour isn't going to let the rest of us live much longer past the wedding."_


	21. Sapphires and Diamonds

Chapter 21: Sapphires and Diamonds

The desolate, lightning-lit gloom of the Thunder Plains abruptly ended, transforming into a narrow path surrounded by a huge forest made entirely of blue crystal trees. _"This place looks like something out of a fantasy novel!"_ Charlie thought to herself, trailing behind as she absently watched Rikku jump for joy and run after the others. _"Whatever this place is, it's definitely not natural!"_

"_That's because it isn't, remember?"_ said the snide little voice. _"None of this is natural, because all of this is a game…or have you forgotten that little detail?" _

Chagrined, she paused, realizing that what the voice said was true. _"I have been forgetting that…but this is more than a game now, despite what went on before! I keep forgetting that it's supposed to be a game, because I never actually played the game before, nor have I watched anyone else play it. Hell…even if it was just a game, this place and these people are real now. They care, fight, bleed…and die…just like anyone back home. You know what? Even if this IS just supposed to be a game, that doesn't matter...at least not to me, not anymore. These people are my friends, and I'm going to help them, come hell or high water!" _

"_Friends, huh? Are you sure about that? I mean, I bet you'd like to be more than 'just friends' with Auron…"_

"_SHUT UP! I DO NOT feel that way about him! It was just a reaction to all the adrenaline I got from the fight, nothing more!"_

The little voice laughed, _"All right, I'll leave you alone about that…for now. You'd just better hope that your 'friendship' doesn't land them in the same boat as Marcus…"_

Finally, Charlie's conscience left her alone, and her thoughts drifted to her concern for Yuna. Before her worries could completely capture her attention, Auron walked out ahead of her and stopped. "You're worried about Yuna," he said.

"_What the hell…did he just read my mind?"_ Charlie blinked for a moment, and then realized Auron was staring at her, waiting for an answer. "She's my friend, Auron! Of course I'm worried! What the hell is she thinking, marrying that creep?"

"The simplest answer would be…in exchange for agreeing to marry him…she hopes to negotiate with Seymour."

"What could she possibly hope to negotiate with that guy?"

"I wonder," Auron trailed off thoughtfully.

"And she wants to do this all by herself?" Charlie was incredulous.

"She's strong, but Seymour is the better negotiator."

"Can't we do something about it?"

Auron shook his head. "Yuna wants it this way."

"What? Doesn't she trust us?"

"On the contrary…she doesn't want us caught up in whatever she's planning."

Charlie hung her head. "I thought so. It doesn't make me feel any better though. I just wish she'd tell us what's going on!"

"That's the way she is. She's naïve, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help."

Just then, they rounded the corner and saw the rest of the group waiting for them. Charlie noticed the look of determination in Yuna's eyes, and sighed, "I guess you're right."

"Yuna's easy to read," Auron chuckled, walking away. Then he paused, and said, "But hard to guard. Stand by her, always."

Charlie stared at the older guardian's back as he left her to rejoin the group, thinking, _"Yuna is my friend. People can say whatever they like about me, but I stand by my friends, no matter what! If she really wants to marry Seymour, that's fine, but if he even puts a single TOE wrong, he's going to choke to death on those handlebars of his as I cram them down his throat!"_ She stopped and blinked. _"Good God, when did I become such a violent person?"_

Finally, she shook herself out of her thoughts and caught up with the others at the nearby Life Spring. "Slowpokes!" Rikku teased, her green eyes sparkling merrily.

"Sorry about that," Charlie sheepishly replied. "Anyway, shouldn't we be going?"

…

The seven of them carefully threaded their way through the narrow, twisting paths of the crystal forest, and fought various fiends along the way. The strangest and most colorful of the fiends in the forest, however, was actually a hodgepodge of various animals: three-headed, with a lion, a bull, and an eagle's head all resting on its massive shoulders, hoofed feet like a cow's, and a huge yellow snake for a tail. "What in the name of all things cute and fluffy is that?" Charlie yelped when the ill-assorted beast came into view.

"A Chimera," Lulu explained. "It's strong both physically and magically, so we need to be careful."

The Chimera let out a peculiar noise that sounded like a roar, a screech, and a bellow all rolled into one, and suddenly dropped to all fours. The great yellow serpent-tail reared up, fixed the group with a baleful stare, and hissed loudly, calling down several bolts of lightning in an attempt to strike down everyone at once. Fortunately, Yuna managed to nullify most of the attacks with a defensive spell, but it did not help Rikku, who was upset at having to deal with yet more lightning. "That's it!" she screamed angrily, reaching into her belt pouch and pulling out a small round object that looked eerily familiar to Charlie.

"Uh…Rikku? That wouldn't happen to be a grenade, would it?"

Instead of answering, the Al Bhed chucked the grenade at the Chimera's tail, which stopped its frenzied spell casting in favor of attacking and devouring the little bomb. The subsequent explosion blew off most of the offending appendage and sprayed a great deal of greenish-white blood all over the place. The mixed-up fiend reared up, all three heads shrieking in agony, and then its eagle head opened its beak and sprayed everyone with a jet of water with the force of a fire hose, knocking them to the ground. Kimahri managed to get to his feet just as the Chimera charged, and then retaliated with his own burst of water, bowling the fiend over and giving the rest of the group time to recover.

Wakka was the next one to get up, and he slammed his blitzball into the monster's lion face, knocking it off balance long enough for Charlie to rush in and stab it in the stomach with her sword. Unfortunately, the blade became stuck, and she had to abandon it, or risk the enraged fiend tearing her to shreds. "Why won't this thing just die already?" she yelled, casting a weak Fire spell at it since it still had her sword in its gut.

Ignoring the spell, the Chimera let out a furious bellow and charged forward yet again, batting Wakka out of the way and nearly trampling Yuna, when suddenly, Lulu stepped forward, her red eyes flashing brightly, and shouted, "Thundara!"

A bolt of lightning much larger than anything the Chimera could produce fell from the sky like the wrath of the almighty and struck the mismatched monster. It screamed again and twitched violently as the electricity surged through its body, and then Auron stepped up and cut off its middle head with an almost casual air. As the dead fiend keeled over sideways, the swordsman grabbed the Brotherhood's hilt with his free hand and wrenched it free of its prison in the slowly disintegrating Chimera. "Here," he said bluntly, turning and handing the sword to Charlie. "See that you don't lose it again."

Charlie took the weapon, but did not respond to the guardian's brusque tone. Instead, she concentrated her efforts on cleaning the disgustingly hued blood off the blade before putting it away. Finally, she turned back to Auron and coolly said, "Shouldn't we get going, Oh Fearless Leader?"

Before he could answer, Barthello came around the corner, running as if his pants were on fire. "Hey!" he shouted, stopping to pant heavily once he reached the group. "You…have you seen Dona?"

"Dona? No, the last time we saw her was back at Djose Temple," Charlie replied.

"What's up?" Wakka asked.

The hulking guardian turned to the blitzer and said, "We got separated on the way here." Suddenly, a hint of panic appeared in his expression, and he yelled, "Damn it all! I've got to find her!"

"_Well, I guess I owe myself fifty bucks,"_ Charlie inwardly sighed. _"I just knew this muscle-bound gladiator wannabe would lose her…of course, that might actually be a good thing…"_

"Calm down," Auron said, composed as always.

Barthello gave the swordsman a look as if he had just fallen from space. "But if anything happens to her…"

"Running around in a panic is not going to help," Auron told him. "Right now, you have to keep cool and search."

"But…"

"Guard your emotions, then guard your summoner."

Auron's piercing gaze held Barthello's squinty, yet slightly vacant one as the wheels in the brutish guardian's head slowly began to turn. After what felt like an eternity, Barthello calmed down, and in a serious tone, said, "You're right."

"Shall we search?" Auron asked.

Barthello shook his head. "No, I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron."

Then the hulking guardian performed the prayer, while Auron looked faintly embarrassed, and then ran off into the cool blue shadows of the crystal forest. As he disappeared into the woods, Rikku ran to the front of the group and watched him depart, an odd, slightly sly look on her face. "What's up?" Wakka asked, confused by her odd behavior.

"Oh, I just wanted to wish him good luck," the Al Bhed nonchalantly replied.

The seven of them departed again, and as they walked, Charlie sidled up to Auron and said, "I saw that, and I thought that was really sweet of you."

"What are you talking about?" he replied, not looking at her.

"Your offer to help your little fanboy find Dona!" she grinned. "That was so sweet I could have poured it on my pancakes!"

Auron sighed disgustedly, and although his collar hid most of it, Charlie could tell he was blushing. _"You aren't as cold as you think you are, are you, Mr. I-Act-Like-I-Don't-Give-a-Damn?"_

…

Several hours later, after some odd encounters that included a musical birdman who offered to let them chase magic butterflies, the party finally made it to the other side of the woods. They started to exit the forest, when suddenly Auron halted the group. "Wait. It is here…somewhere."

"What's here?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Something you should see," he replied, drawing his sword and walking up to a path blocked by a massive crystalline branch.

"But Sir Auron…" Yuna protested, letting her voice trail off.

"It won't take long," he promised.

Auron hacked and slashed his way through the tree, opening the path with several well-placed strikes. _"Well, aren't you a regular Paul Bunyan…"_ Charlie thought sarcastically, not wanting to admit that Auron's little display impressed her. _"Only you're a hundred times shorter and don't have a blue ox following you around."_

Everyone followed the now clear path, which led them to a dead-end at a spring beneath one of the forest's larger trees. "Hey, this is pretty and all, but why are we here?" Charlie demanded. "We've got plenty of water, so it's not like we needed to stop."

"This is what spheres are made of," Auron explained. "It absorbs and preserves people's memories."

Suddenly, something oozed out of the spring, and floated into the air. It looked like a large blue cell, only with a tear-shaped stone in the center instead of a nucleus. "What is that?" Wakka asked, pulling out his blitzball as the pulsing sphere floated closer.

"Fiends are also attracted to these places," Auron replied, drawing his own weapon.

The battle began, but it quickly became apparent that physical attacks were useless against the fiend's gelatinous body, since any wound inflicted vanished almost instantly. To make matters worse, the big blob retaliated to every single attack by casting Blizzard on the group. "Damn it! How the hell are we supposed to hurt this thing if it just keeps healing itself after every attack?" Charlie snarled after seeing yet another of its wounds disappear.

"Lu! Use your magic on this thing!" Wakka yelled as the gel unleashed another Blizzard attack on the party.

Before the mage could cast a spell, however, the fiend launched itself into the air, took the form of a huge block, and fell on her, Wakka, and Rikku, smashing them into the ground. _"Oh shit!"_ "Yuna! Are they okay?" Charlie asked, staring at the unmoving forms of her friends.

"They will be," the summoner replied, feverishly casting Cure spells on them.

"Charlie, pay attention!" Auron barked, pulling her out of the way just as a long blue tentacle shot past.

"Thanks,' she absently replied, studying the floating fiend. _"Physical attacks aren't working, but we still don't know what magic will do, since it knocked Lulu out before she could do anything…but I have a little magic, so maybe I can do something! I just hope the damn thing is weak against Fire, since that's the only spell I can cast!"_ With that plan in mind, Charlie pointed at the blob, summoned up her power, and shouted, "Fire!"

A small tongue of flame burst into life, then exploded into an inferno as it crawled across the fiend's amorphous body as if it were made of gasoline. The monstrous creature thrashed in soundless agony, and then lashed out with another tentacle as the flames died down. Unfortunately, Charlie didn't get out of the way in time, and the tendril wrapped around her waist, hauled her skyward, shook her violently, and then flung her into Kimahri. "Bastard!" she spat, rolling off the slightly squashed Ronso. "Sorry about that, big guy!"

Kimahri grunted, got to his feet, and pointed at the fiend, which glowed brightly for a moment, before turning back to normal and attacking again. "Charlie, can you still use your magic?" Auron asked, barely evading the blob as it took on the form of a narrow block and tried to crush him. When the young woman gave him a curious look, he said, "Your Fire spell hurt it last time, so try it again!"

"Right, Chief!" Charlie turned to the gel and used her pathetic spell again, but this time, the fiend did not react at all. "Why the hell didn't it work?"

"It must have the ability to change elemental weaknesses every time something strikes it with magic!" Lulu exclaimed, finally rejoining the battle. "Now all we need to do is discover what its new weakness is."

Just then, Rikku and Wakka rejoined the battle, giving Charlie, Auron, and Kimahri time to retreat and catch their breath. The Al Bhed nimbly skipped forward, deftly evading a tentacle that tried to grab her ankle, and lashed out with the clawed knuckles she wore on her right hand. The attack did not inflict much damage, but it did cause the fiend to respond by casting a spell. Instead of clouds of ice, this time, the blob rained thunderbolts down on the group. "I hate lightning!" Rikku complained as she backed out of range.

"Watera!" Lulu cried, a dark blue aura appearing around her as she raised her hands to the sky.

In response to her call, a pillar of water erupted from the spring with the force of a geyser, causing the gel to writhe in silent agony once again. After the spell's effects faded, the fiend shifted elements yet again, but before anyone could attack, it launched itself into the air, took on the form of the narrow block, and smashed Auron just as he tried to strike it with his sword. Then it stretched itself out into a pair of thin tentacles and spun around in a circle, pulling everyone's feet out from under them. Charlie swore profusely and tried to get to her feet, but saw the blob's wide block form hovering over her head, and shut her eyes and cringed against the unavoidable impending blow. _"Oh hell…"_

That blow never came. Surprised, the young guardian opened her eyes and gaped as she saw Ifrit standing over her and Lulu, holding the fiend back with just his brute strength. The aeon roared, the sound of a wildfire evident in its voice, and gave the two women a look they had no trouble reading. _"Get out of the way!"_ Lulu and Charlie wasted no time in scrambling to safety, as the creature's block form melted and actually tried to engulf Ifrit! The demon fought back, however, tearing great chunks of goo out of its body with his huge claws.

In its attempt to swallow the aeon however, the fiend spread itself too thin to protect its core and Ifrit managed to catch the tear-shaped object in his mouth and slowly crushed it. Without the core, the rest of the creature twitched violently, releasing the demon from its grip before melting and disintegrating into pyreflies, leaving behind nothing but an old sphere. Charlie picked up the object, let out a huge sigh of relief, and said, "That was too close for comfort! Thanks, Yuna!"

The summoner smiled modestly as she sent the triumphant aeon away, and then she and the rest of the group gathered around to look at the sphere. "Whoa, this is old!" Wakka exclaimed, his eyes widening as he examined it. "Don't know if you can play it back."

"Jecht left it here ten years ago," Auron said, drawing surprised gasps from everyone. "Play it back."

Charlie gave the swordsman a doubtful look, but did as told and pushed the little button at the sphere's base. It lit up, and after a brief moment of static, an all-too familiar voice rang out, saying, "What are you taking?"

"_Hey, that's sounds like Auron, only younger and…more arrogant,"_ Charlie thought, not taking her eyes off the image.

Suddenly, another voice, one that sounded cocky and brash, replied, "Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip!" The image on the sphere shifted, as if someone was using it like a video camera, and stopped on what could only be Braska and Auron as they walked away from a huge temple. "We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right?" Jecht continued, "So I thought I'd record it all in this…to show to my wife and kid, you know."

Charlie gaped at the image of Auron from ten years past, thinking, _"My God, he must have had every woman in wherever they are constantly chasing him! I'm willing to bet he was as much a sanctimonious jackass as he was pretty, though."_

"This is no pleasure cruise!" Young Auron snapped, glaring at Jecht.

"_Looks like I was right."_

"Hey, Braska," Jecht called, ignoring the conceited guardian's remark and turning the camera to the summoner. "Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where are all the cheering fans, the crying women?"

"This is it," Braska replied, turning around. "Too many goodbyes…people think twice about leaving."

"_He sounded really kind, but so sad. Poor man…"_

"Hmm…If you say so. Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!"

Braska laughed, and then shook his head. "We should go. Day will break soon."

The image faded to black, as if the camera was turned off, and then brightened again, showing everyone the image of Jecht and Auron in a frozen landscape, standing far apart as if reluctant to go near one another. Braska, apparently in charge of the sphere camera, said, "Auron, could you stand closer to him?"

Young Auron gave the summoner a look that clearly said he would rather die, but nodded, sighed, and after a long moment, walked over to Jecht and stood next to him under a brilliantly colored banner that read "Lake Macalania". "Good, that should do it," Braska called, signaling that they could separate.

"What's the matter?" Jecht taunted, giving Auron a roguish grin. "Afraid I might bite?"

"Jecht…" the swordsman groaned in exasperation.

"Braska!" Jecht shouted, cutting off whatever Auron was about to say. "You should take one, too! It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!"

"I suppose…" Braska trailed off.

Just then, Auron stepped forward and said, "Lord Braska…we shouldn't be wasting our time like this!"

"What's the hurry, man?" Jecht demanded, obviously knowing that the question would only further aggravate the straitlaced guardian.

Auron turned around, and while the group could not actually see it, Charlene was quite sure he had just given Jecht "The Look". "Let me tell you what the hurry is!"

"Auron!" Braska called, turning off the sphere in his rush to separate what had to be an impending fight.

"_I bet those two nearly drove Braska out of his mind!"_ Charlie inwardly sighed, rolling her eyes. _"They probably did nothing but bicker and fight during the whole trip!"_

She shook her head in disgust, and started to turn the sphere off, but then Rikku said, "Hey, I think there's more."

The sphere lit up again, and this time, a view of the tree and the spring appeared. Jecht stood before it, an uncharacteristic somber look on his face as he gazed at the camera. "Hey. If you're sitting there, watching this…it means you're stuck in Spira, like me," he said, startling Charlie. Before she could say or think anything, however, he continued to speak. "You might not know when you'll get back home, but you'd better not be crying! Although…I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son, and…well, uh…" He shifted uncomfortably, then got up and walked toward the sphere camera. "Never mind. I'm not good at these things." The sphere darkened briefly, and then brightened again on an unhindered view of the spring. "Anyways…I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye."

The recording finished, the sphere shut down, and Charlie looked up and said, "Wow, he sounded pretty serious there at the end." _"I could almost swear that he was talking to me in that sphere, except that I don't cry, and I'm definitely not his son!"_

"He was serious," Auron replied, snapping her out of her reverie. "Jecht had already accepted his fate."

"Fate?"

"Jecht…he…he was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures: to show them to his son when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Braska's resolve…it happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

Charlie gaped for a long moment in stunned disbelief, partly because of Jecht's decision, and partly because the explanation was the longest series of words to come out of Auron's mouth in all the time she knew him. Finally, she shook her head and asked, "Why did he give up on going home?"

"It was his decision," Auron simply replied.

"_It was his decision…just as it was mine, back in Guadosalam, when the purple kid gave me the chance to go home. He stayed to help Braska, just as I decided to stay and help Yuna. We may not be related, but I guess we really ARE connected, at least in this. I mean, I want to go home, but I want to help my friends more."_ Charlie looked up at Yuna, who was a little teary-eyed at seeing a living image of her father again, and said, "Okay, let's go."

Everyone turned and left, but when Charlie moved to follow them, Auron stopped her. "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

"Jecht…loved Tidus."

"I know," she sighed, hanging her head. "Back during Operation Mi'ihen, when I chased after Sin, I saw him…I saw Jecht. He didn't say anything to me, not in words, but I saw an image of Tidus, and I felt his sadness. He loved his son, and I got the feeling that he never told him so."

Auron nodded. "He didn't know how to express it, he said."

"Yeah…" Charlie felt an echo of that alien sorrow wash over her, but shook it off. _"Damn it, this just really depressed the hell out of me!"_ She looked up at Auron, who started to walk away, and said, "Hey, wait!" When he stopped and turned around, she asked, "Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" he asked, giving her a suspicious look.

"Walking around with a stick up your ass for all those years…" she grinned. "Did it hurt?"

…

Some time later, the seven of them finally exited the crystal forest and arrived in the frozen wilderness they first saw in the image from the old sphere. Nearby stood one of Rin's Travel Agencies, and standing outside it were a grumbling O'aka, Clasko, and the surviving chocobo. "Hi there," the Chocobo Knight said, turning around to look at Charlie. "Would you look at this? They always leave me behind." Suddenly, the chocobo let out a loud wark, and nudged at him. "Oh, you want me to scratch you?" he asked, turning and rubbing the chocobo's throat. The friendly bird chirped contentedly, and Clasko ended the caresses and patted it on the neck. "There. Good boy!"

"How in the world did you do that?" Charlie wanted to know, amazed at the knight's talent.

"I've always been able to tell how chocobos feel," Clasko replied. "Maybe I'd be a better chocobo breeder than Chocobo Knight, huh? Hey, what job do you see me doing?"

"I think you'd make a great chocobo breeder!" Charlie told him.

"Yeah! I think so too! You know, I just might give it a try."

"Well good luck with that! I know you can do it!"

With that, Charlene left Clasko to his own devices, and ran to catch up to the gang as they started down the icy path to the temple. Along the way, they ran into Tromell, who had apparently been waiting for them. "Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you," he beamed, looking for all the world like Yuna had decided to marry him instead of Seymour. "We were surprised you decided to come so soon…pleasantly surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice."

"_Oh yeah? Well 'Lord' Seymour can take his apologies and shove them up his…"_

"It's quite all right," Yuna replied, interrupting Charlie's train of thought. The summoner then gave the elderly Guado a troubled look and said, "I have one question, if I may, sir."

"My lady?"

"I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?"

"But of course, my lady," Tromell reassured her. "Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure."

Satisfied with that answer, Yuna turned to the group, nodded, and then turned to join Tromell. "Goodbye," she told them, sounding almost as if she expected to never see them again.

"Well…" Tromell began, looking mildly uncomfortable, "We must follow Guado tradition. I'll have to ask you to wait here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort you."

"_Escort? You mean kill us all, don't you? This isn't right!"_

Yuna started to walk away, but then she stopped and gave her guardians a doubtful look. "I…"

"We're all with you," Auron told her, cutting off whatever apology she was about to make. "Do as you will."

"Thank you."

Yuna walked away with Tromell, and as everyone watched her depart, Charlie suddenly waved her hands in the air and shouted, "Yuna!"

When the summoner stopped in the middle of an open ice field and turned around, she put her fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle, just as she had back in Luca. "Yes ma'am!" Yuna shouted back, smiling and waving.

Suddenly, Rikku let out a loud gasp, and shouted, "Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Charlie demanded, whipping around just in time to see several large snowmobiles seemingly appear out of nowhere.

"Al Bhed!" Wakka cried, spitting the name out like a curse as he pulled out his blitzball and ran down the hill to aid Tromell and Yuna, just as the machina and their riders reached them.

Everyone else quickly followed the blitzer's lead, and rushed to the aid of their summoner as the snowmobiles came to a stop and the Al Bhed jumped off. "Stand back," Auron said, interposing himself between Yuna and one of the marauding commandoes.

"Thank you!" Tromell cried as he tried to lead Yuna to safety. Suddenly, the summoner wrenched herself free of the Guado's grip, and ran back to aid the others, much to his dismay. "Lady Yuna!"

The Al Bhed encircled the group, apparently ready to fight, and as Charlie drew the Brotherhood, she looked the nearest raider in the eye and, in rather accented Al Bhed, growled, "E tu hud drehg cu, pycdynt!" (I do not think so, bastard!)

This drew startled looks from both the raider and Rikku, who raised an eyebrow and said, "Wow! You've been practicing, huh?"

"You bet!" Charlie grinned. "You think he understood me?"

Rikku nodded, then turned her attention back to the other Al Bhed. However, all the fight seemed to drain out of the attacking squadron, and they quickly turned and ran away. Just when everyone thought the fight was over, however, a man Charlie recognized as the tattooed leader of the salvage crew appeared on top of the hill, glared down at the group, and yelled something she could not completely understand to Rikku. _"Don't…something…or you get this?"_ The young woman did not have to wonder long, though, because a massive, tank-like machina-cannon rolled up the hill to join the mohawk-wearing moron. "Gee, talk about overcompensating!" she growled, rolling her eyes as the machine performed an odd display, showing enough guns to supply a small army.

The tattooed man laughed coldly, and then made a statement about magic and aeons Charlie did not quite understand. "Oh, no!" Rikku wailed, looking worried.

"What the hell did he say?"

"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!" the Al Bhed replied.

"Kad dras!" Tattoo-Boy shouted, as the cannon rolled down onto the ice field.

When the monstrous machina finally came to a stop, a small hatch above the main gun opened, and a much smaller machina launched into the air and hovered over the area. "Yunie, Lulu! That flying machina is blocking your magic and aeons, so just stand back and let us handle this, okay?" Rikku told them as she tossed a grenade at the cannon.

Neither the summoner nor the mage liked the idea, but they nodded and stepped back as the others assaulted various points of the machina. "Wakka, hurry up and break the drone so we can help out!" Lulu yelled, irritated at having to stand on the sidelines.

Before the blitzer could respond, however, the bottom half of the cannon opened up, revealing all the smaller guns it displayed earlier, and fired them on the group in a frenzy, forcing everyone to drop to the ground or risk getting shot full of holes. "Damn that was close!" Charlie shouted, clambering to her feet as the machina finally stopped firing and resorted to ramming attacks. _"How the hell am I supposed to fight something that uses machine guns? I don't have the kind of strength Kimahri and Auron have, so my sword is virtually useless, and as long as 'Robo-Gnat' is flying around, I can't use magic! Boy, I sure could use an idea right about now…"_

Just then, Wakka managed to knock the flying drone out of the air, lifting the anti-magic field on the area, allowing Lulu to join the fight and Yuna to heal the wounded. Unfortunately, it also allowed the giant cannon to use a new trick, since there now was a light pulsing on the end of its main gun. Then another light lit up, followed by a third, and a high-pitched whine rang through the icy air as something inside the machina powered up. "Everyone, look out!" Rikku screamed, as the fourth and final light lit up.

Suddenly, Charlie felt a lurch, as if the world just shifted six inches to the right, as the cannon fired an enormous beam of searing red energy at the group. The ray struck the ice and exploded, its impact knocking everyone off their feet. When the dust finally cleared and Charlie could see again, no one else was moving, as far as she could tell. "You…you son of a BITCH!" she shrieked, flinging herself at the machina and scrambling up its side, out of the reach of its formidable arsenal.

Once she made it to the top, the enraged girl hacked away at the paneling, which was less heavily armored than the bottom half of the machine, until the metal finally gave way, and then she reached inside and ripped out as many wires as she could find. Just then, the nearby hatch opened, and an Al Bhed climbed out and yelled, "Rao! Fryd tu oui drehg oui yna tuehk? Cdub dryd!" (Hey! What do you think you are doing? Stop that!)

He grabbed her by an ankle and dragged her away from the hole, but it was already too late. Fortunately, the main cannon simply shut down, instead of exploding, which was a possibility that had not occurred to Charlie when she first climbed atop the machine. _"I suppose I should have thought that through, but no time to worry about that now!"_ she thought, kicking the enraged Al Bhed in the head. She continued kicking at her attacker, all the while shouting, "Let me go! Let me go!" _"Uh…damn…what was it again?" _"Mad sa ku!"

"Fro? Zicd palyica oui ghuf cusa Al Bhed?" he snarled, refusing to let go, "E drehg hud!" (Why? Just because you know some Al Bhed? I think not!)

"I didn't understand a word you just said, but fine then!"

With that, Charlie rolled off the side of the malfunctioning machina, taking the man, who she guessed was the pilot, with her. The two of them hit the ice, somehow managing not to break anything except for his grip on her leg. The guardian managed to recover her sword, get to her feet, and point it at her attacker. "Tysh eteud guardian!" he spat, glaring up at her. (Damn idiot guardian!)

The young woman sighed and stepped back, giving the pilot room to get up. "Look," she sighed disgustedly. "Your stupid machine's busted, so just get the hell out of here already!" When he gave her an uncomprehending and suspicious look, she waved the Brotherhood at him and shouted, "KU!" (GO!)

Charlene watched the Al Bhed turn and run up the hill, and turned around just in time to see everyone else get to their feet. "Oh thank God you guys are okay!"

"Yeah, that was pretty close!" Wakka agreed, giving her a "Freak Show" look. "What were you thinking, climbing that thing like that?"

"I don't know…" she sighed. "I just figured it'd shut down if I ripped out enough wires, and…"

Suddenly, the machina jerked, and returned to life, causing the two of them to back away in alarm, just as the tattooed man reappeared on top of the hill with a small black box in his hand. "Vuumc!" he shouted, waving the box in the air. "E pnuikrd y nameda eh lyca uv yh asankahlo!" (Fools! I brought a remote in case of an emergency!)

"He's got a remote!" Rikku translated in dismay.

"Does it actually work?" Lulu was curious.

"Uh…I'm not really sure."

Apparently, it did work, but all the device did was make the machina move, so the only attack it could use was the ramming one from earlier. After narrowly evading a couple of attacks however, Yuna decided that she had had enough, and raised her staff to the sky. In response to her silent call, a series of lightning bolts rained down around her, and then struck the end of her rod, causing it to glow like a beacon. Then she swung it around, and the bolt launched itself into the empty air, creating a shining sigil that opened a brilliant white hole in the middle of nothing. The summoner pulled on her staff, and then a great golden horn appeared, followed by its owner, a magnificent black and silver unicorn which burst through the opening with a sound of shattering glass before trotting to a stop next to its caller. "Holy hell, is that the aeon Yuna got from Djose?" Charlie asked, staring at the amazing creature.

"Yes, that is Ixion," Auron replied.

"Thor's Hammer!" Yuna commanded, pointing at the swiftly approaching machina.

The unicorn reared up on its hind legs, its horn shining brightly for a brief moment before unleashing a huge thunderbolt that lifted the cannon into the air in a scintillating ball of blue-white electricity. The half-busted machine continued to float, suspended on a string of lightning, until finally, Ixion sent another burst of energy sailing up the link, causing a huge, blinding explosion. When the light and sound faded, only a few smoldering pieces of metal remained as evidence of the machina's existence. The tattooed Al Bhed at the top of the hill stared at the wreckage in stunned disbelief as Tromell and Yuna walked away again, and then glared down at Rikku and yelled, "E femm damm Vydran!" (I will tell Father!)

Rikku looked up at him and made a long reply about Yuna and a guardian, and finally, the tattooed man turned and ran away. "I told him I was a guardian," she explained, turning to face the group. "Well, guess I had to, really."

"How come you speak Al Bhed?" Wakka asked, not understanding. "Why?"

He then turned to look at Charlie and Lulu, who said nothing as Rikku softly replied, "Because I'm Al Bhed, and that…was my brother."

"You knew?" he asked, looking back at the other two women, who nodded silently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We knew you'd be upset," Lulu replied.

Wakka turned back to Rikku and scowled at her. "This is just great. I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!"

"You're wrong!" Rikku shouted. "We have nothing against Yevon!"

"But you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina! You know what that means? Sin was born because people used machina!"

"You got proof? Show me proof!"

"It's in Yevon's teachings!" the furious blitzer snapped. "Not that you'd know!"

"That's not good enough!" Rikku retorted. "Yevon says this, Yevon says that! Can't you think for yourself?"

"Well, then you tell me! Where did Sin come from, huh?" he demanded, quickly changing tactics.

The Al Bhed paused for a long moment, and finally stammered, "I…I don't know!"

"You badmouth Yevon and that's all you can come up with?" Wakka sneered, looking as if he might hit her.

"But…that doesn't mean you should do whatever they say without thinking!" Rikku protested. "Nothing will ever change that way!"

"Nothing has to change!"

"You want Sin to keep coming back? There might be a way to stop it you know!"

"Sin will be gone once we atone for our past mistakes!"

"When? How?"

"If we keep faith in Yevon's teachings, it will be gone one day!" the blitzer stubbornly replied.

"Why do I even bother?" Rikku whispered, staring down at her shoes as her eyes filled with tears.

"Rikku, will this move?" Auron suddenly asked, walking over to one of the abandoned snowmobiles.

The Al Bhed turned and quickly started repairing it, as Wakka looked on in disbelief and anger. "We're not using that, are we?" he demanded. "Wait…Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too, is he?"

"Wakka, just shut up!" Charlie yelled, heartily sick of his attitude. The blitzer gave her a look as if she had just slapped him, but before he could say anything, she quickly cut him off. "You really are an idiot, you know! You got along fine with Rikku before this, but now that you know she's an Al Bhed, you treat her as if she's personally responsible for every misfortune that ever happened to anyone, anywhere, in the entire history of the goddamn universe! Look, I don't know much about Spira, or Yevon, or the Al Bhed, but Rikku is still a good person, no matter her upbringing! Rikku is just Rikku, and you have no right to act like she's personally responsible for the death of your brother! Sin killed him, not the Al Bhed!"

Wakka gaped at her for a long moment, and then yelled, "What about you, Charlie? I heard you speaking Al Bhed just before the fight started! You're one of them too, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not! _I_ got some books on the language from Rin, because _I_ don't have a problem with the Al Bhed, and happen to enjoy learning new things! If that happens to offend your delicate sensibilities, then that's just too damn bad!"

The blitzer then turned to Lulu, who just looked at him and said, "Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed."

"Ha!"

With that, Wakka stormed off, swearing under his breath. Already regretting some of the things she said, Charlie started to follow him, but then Auron stopped her. "Let him go," he told her. "Give him time to think."

"I'm sorry," Rikku said as she finished her repairs on the snowmobiles.

"You've done nothing to apologize for," Lulu reassured her.

Charlie walked over to another of the vehicles, climbed on, and said, "Well, I guess we should hurry up and get out of here before we freeze to death."

"You sure you know how to drive one of these?" Rikku asked.

"If Kimahri can drive one, it can't be that hard!" she replied as the Ronso flipped over another of the abandoned machina, climbed aboard, and rode off by himself.

…

A little while later, Charlie and Lulu, riding together on a snowmobile, made their way through the icy canyon path leading to Macalania Temple. "Charlie…don't you think you were a little hard on Wakka?" the mage asked.

"I know I was," she sighed. "I shouldn't have dragged his brother into this, but he just made me so mad! Rikku saved my life back when I first came to Spira, so I guess I'm a little biased in her favor." They rode on in silence a while longer, and then Charlie said, "Say, Lulu, what do you think of Rikku?"

"She's…fun to be with."

"That's it?"

"Well, I can tell she's not a bad person."

"Exactly!" Charlie agreed. "But Wakka's so damn hardheaded…he and Rikku got along so well, but now that he knows she's an Al Bhed he's just going to act like she carries a disease or something, all because she doesn't believe the same things he does! You'd think that with something like Sin running around, people would stop fighting over stupid things like race and concentrate their efforts on getting rid of it! Does anyone even know what the hell that damn thing really is?"

"There's no need to know, so no one asks," Lulu replied. "You run or you fight; that's really all you can do. There's no sense brooding over it."

"But…don't you ever wonder about it? I know you said there was a war in the distant past, but what could the people back then have done that was so bad?"

"You really come from a world where there is no Sin, like you say," the mage replied, more to herself than to Charlie.

"_This isn't right! No one tries to figure out another way to do things? No, they just let Yevon do all the thinking for them, and Yevon apparently doesn't encourage individual thought…that's why they let the Al Bhed and the Crusaders have Operation Mi'ihen! It was a neat little way to take care of the 'heathens' and the 'traitors' in one fell swoop! As long as the people are compliant and want easy answers and a scapegoat handed to them on a silver platter, Yevon can get away with whatever it wants and no one will tell them otherwise…too bad no one would believe me if I told them this."_


	22. Treachery

Chapter 22: Treachery

Macalania Temple was an oddly shaped building suspended from the ceiling of a frozen cavern high above the actual lake, and the only visible way to reach it was through a narrow and winding walkway of ice. When the group actually tried to enter the temple, however, a monk dressed in heavy blue robes blocked the entrance. "Halt!" the monk cried, glaring at Rikku. "The likes of her are not welcome in this hallowed place."

"She is a guardian," Auron replied, frowning at the priest.

"An Al Bhed, a guardian? Preposterous!"

"I've decided to be Yuna's guardian now, and that's all I want," Rikku said.

"And that's all one needs to be a guardian," Auron finished, shouldering the monk aside.

The would-be door guard eyed Rikku suspiciously, but finally stepped aside. "Very well, but if anything happens, I will hold you personally responsible."

Everyone ignored him and entered the great hall of the temple, which was full of people eagerly celebrating Yuna's betrothal. The celebrants included Shelinda, who rushed up to Charlene with an overjoyed and frighteningly vapid smile on her face. "Ah, there you are! So Lady Yuna IS getting married!" she cheered, giving the guardian a slightly accusatory look. "You shouldn't kid around about these things, you know!"

"Whatever," Charlie replied, irritated by the acolyte's delight.

"You're not happy?" Shelinda asked, clearly confused. "Why?"

"_Because Yuna is marrying a psycho, you idiot!"_ "I don't know. I'm just not the celebrating type, I guess." The young woman looked around the chilly great hall for a moment, and then asked, "Where is Yuna, anyway?"

"I believe she's gone to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour," Shelinda replied as the others turned around to catch her answer.

The six of them abandoned the acolyte in favor of running up the steps to Cloister, but suddenly, a scream rang out through the frigid air as a nun burst into the room, a look of panic and stunned disbelief on her face. "Lord Jyscal! A sphere in Lady Yuna's belongings!" she shrieked before collapsing to the floor in a faint.

"_Well isn't this just great! What the hell was the little fool doing digging around in Yuna's things, anyway? Nosy little bitch!"_ Charlie mentally growled as she followed the others into the chamber the frightened nun came from. _"Oh well, at least we get to see what's on that damn sphere after all…"_

Once in the chamber, Auron picked up the sphere, handed it to Charlie, and said, "This may well answer a few questions."

Nodding in agreement, the young woman placed the sphere on the floor and quickly turned it on. It flickered violently for a moment, and then the tiny image of Lord Jyscal appeared, standing in the Thunder Plains with a somber expression on his face. "What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth," the departed maester began. "I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed even to me, a maester of Yevon, but I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira. I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son, but I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds, but whoever is watching this…I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son!"

The recording finished, the sphere darkened again, leaving everyone in the room standing in thunderstruck silence. "Wonderful," Auron said, finally breaking the quiet.

"Will Yuna be all right?" Rikku asked, her jade eyes filled with worry.

"Without us, no," the swordsman replied, striding out of the room.

Kimahri and Rikku quickly followed him, and when Charlie moved to join them, Wakka yelled, "Where you goin'?"

"You saw that sphere! Seymour's a murderer!"

"But he's a maester!"

"So that makes him above the law now?"

"But…"

"But nothing! You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to help Yuna!"

…

Charlene caught up to Auron in a tunnel of brilliant white ice, but was confused when she noticed Kimahri was nowhere to be found.. "Kimahri's gone on ahead," Auron said, answering her unvoiced question.

"Oh, okay."

Just then, Wakka and Lulu finally showed up, but before the blitzer could run by, Auron caught his arm and said, "We will protect Yuna from anyone…even a maester."

"This can't be happening!" Wakka groaned.

"If he truly is at fault, it must be done," Lulu sighed.

They quickly ran into the next room, where Seymour and a pair of Guado lackeys waited on the other side. The maester clearly heard the group enter, but did not turn around. "Seymour!" Charlie yelled, drawing the Brotherhood. "I'm gonna kick your ass, you sick son of a bitch!"

"Please be silent," he replied, not turning around. "Lady Yuna prays to the fayth."

"Why don't you make me, you crazy bastard?"

Seymour turned around and gave Charlene a chilling smile as he stepped down the stairs, and it took all her self-control to keep from recoiling from that look in terror. _"Me and my big mouth!"_ Suddenly, Yuna emerged from the Chamber of the Fayth, and gave everyone a surprised look. "Yuna, we're here to help!" Charlie yelled, not taking her eyes off Seymour as he turned to face his betrothed.

"But why…?" the summoner asked, looking quite upset.

"We saw what was on Jyscal's sphere."

"You killed him," Auron growled, glaring at Seymour.

"What of it?" the Guado calmly replied. "Lady Yuna, certainly you knew of these things, did you not?" When she made no response, he asked, "Well then, why have you come here?"

"I…I came to stop you!" Yuna yelled, her eyes burning with righteous fury as she joined her guardians.

"I see. You came to punish me, then." The twisted maester slowly walked forward, holding out his hand to Yuna, but she quickly backed away. "What a pity." He stopped and laughed softly, as Auron and Charlie quickly positioned themselves in front of the summoner while the others closed in behind her. "Ah, of course. 'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life.' The Code of the Guardian…how admirable," he said as his two lackeys moved to join him. "Well, if you're offering your lives, I will have to take them."

Seymour drew a warped parody of Yuna's staff seemingly from thin air and pointed it at the group, a cold and horribly evil smile lighting up his face. _"Good God, you'd think he'd be pissed that we plan to fight him, but the crazy bastard just looks as if we invited him to tea or something!"_ Charlie thought as she suppressed the urge to panic in the face of the maester's demented calm.

"Maester Seymour, I trust my guardians with my life, but they are also my friends," Yuna said, stepping forward to join the battle. "I will not stand by and watch them be hurt! I will fight you, too!"

"Yeah!" Charlie cheered, feeling her courage renew itself in the face of her friend's determination.

"Maester Seymour!" Wakka pleaded, clearly wanting to avoid any conflict.

"So be it." the Guado replied, ignoring the blitzer's entreaty and lashing his staff through the air.

In response, a spire of ice burst out of the floor and exploded, showering everyone with frozen debris. Yuna did not flinch, but raised her own staff and said, "You may be a maester, but I will still fight you!"

"Your eyes, they burn with resolve…" Seymour breathed, as if he beheld a wonder. "Beautiful!"

Numerous spells flew through the air and created a hectic rainbow of light and power as the Maester, his flunkies, and Lulu all cast their magics as fast as they could, leaving the others to dodge them with varying degrees of success. Wakka bashed one of the Guado, distracting him from his spellcasting long enough for Charlie to get inside his guard and run him through with her sword. As the bodyguard fell limp, Seymour turned and blasted her with a Watera spell. The force of the magic hit her like a brick wall, flinging her into the air, and then back to the ground.

…_Flash…_

Charlene lay in the darkness, crushed beneath the weight of the giant serpent as he pinned her down with his massive coils. "Stay down," he hissed, taking great pleasure from her frantic attempts to get loose. "Surrender to me and make it easier on yourself."

"_Charlie, get up and fight,"_ whispered a flash of blue the shade of a summer sky.

"All your pathetic friends are gone, so there's no reason for you to fight me," the snake continued, as if he did not hear the whispering.

"_He lies!"_ exclaimed a flicker of sooty crimson.

"You lie!" she screamed, fighting to get free.

"Do I? Take a look around you and see for yourself." The shadows retreated, revealing an empty chamber. "You see?" the snake asked. "They _abandoned_ you, Charlie! They left you here! What kind of friends would do that?"

"_Don't give up!"_ called a spark of stormy green.

"SHUT UP!"

"Why fight me when you're all alone?"

Suddenly, time stopped, and the boy in purple appeared, with more flashes of colored light ranged behind him. "Charlie, this is a dream," the boy told her. "Your friends are still fighting Seymour in the waking world, but you have to wake up and help them or you're going to die."

The realization that a dream held her captive made her angry, and she felt something fueled by that wrath slowly stir inside her. "You're a goddamned liar, Seymour!" she growled, somehow shoving him off her as time started again. "This is just a dream, and my friends didn't abandon me!"

Enraged, the serpent's eyes flickered in cold fury as it reared back and struck at her…

…_Flash…_

Charlie's eyes snapped open and she lashed out with the Brotherhood, stopping the oncoming blow of Seymour's staff as it rushed toward her head. Surprised, the twisted maester paused, giving her the time she needed to aim another strike at him, opening a long, diagonal wound across his chest. His expression still eerily pleasant, Seymour stepped back and raised his bloodstained hands in the air. "Feel my pain!" he cried, the light of madness flashing in his eyes. "Come, Anima!"

"_Anima? Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like where this is headed?"_ Charlie thought, backing away as a huge anchor dropped into a hole in the floor in front of her.

Slowly, the anchor reemerged from the darkness, bringing with it the huge aeon that single-handedly defeated the marauding fiends of Luca. Anima let out a roar of agony as it glared at the group, its one green eye blazing with insane hatred. "Oh, Fayth, lend me strength," Yuna intoned, raising her staff above her head.

The summoner then brought it down in one great sweeping motion, as several enormous, diamond bright shards of ice landed on the floor behind her. As she stepped back, the glassy image of a person descended among the great fragments, solidifying into the form of a coldly beautiful woman with snow-white skin and sapphire hair and eyes. With a flick of her wrist, the icy woman flung off her sky-blue cloak, shattering the ice around her. Yuna caught the flying piece of material, and then cried, "Shiva, help us, please!"

Shiva nodded, and then launched herself at Anima, unleashing a series of savage kicks on the immobile aeon in her fury. Anima, in turn, let out an ear-piercing shriek followed by a burst of energy the color of blood and shadows. The blast threw Shiva to the ground, pale blue blood dripping out of various cuts across her body, but she quickly got to her feet and went on the offensive again by dropping a ball of ice on her opponent's head. No one was exactly sure how long the fight went on, but finally, Seymour lost all patience and shouted, "Anima, show them all the bliss that is Oblivion!"

In response to its master's command, the dark aeon let out a long, piercing cry as a hellish crimson and black hole appeared, swallowing Shiva. Then the hole spread wider, plunging the entire room into an unholy darkness that threatened to destroy the sanity of all who stayed in it too long. "What the hell is going on?" Charlie screamed, or maybe thought, since she was no longer sure what was possible in the dark plane. "What's happening?"

Finally, reality snapped back into existence in an explosion of sickly-looking dark blue light, and Shiva reappeared, burnt, bleeding profusely, and only barely hanging on to life. The aeon refused to give up, however, and retaliated by raising her left hand and unleashing a blast of frigid air on Anima. As the wind continued to blow, larger and larger ice crystals erupted from the floor as the temperature continued to drop. Suddenly, the wind stopped, and Shiva snapped her fingers, shattering the ice and sending razor-sharp shards into Anima's body.

The twisted aeon let out a final cry of agony, and then Seymour sent it away in a cloud of greenish-black smoke. The maester stared blankly at Yuna and Shiva for a long moment, as if he could not believe that the two of them defeated his aeon. "That power that defeated Anima…" he began, his almost colorless eyes burning with the light of madness although his pleasant expression had not faltered in the slightest. "It will be MINE! Firaga!"

With that, a huge wave of fire burst from the floor around Shiva, destroying the unfortunate aeon, and then the Guado continued his assault by launching a shockwave of black wind at the group, pushing everyone back several paces. "Holy shit! I think he's finally snapped!" Charlie yelled, struggling to her feet as the howling gale subsided.

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED HERE!" Seymour roared, turning and catching Rikku by the throat when she tried to sneak up on him.

"Mad ku uv sa!" she wheezed, fighting to pry the twisted maester's over-long fingers from around her neck. (Let go of me!)

Instead of releasing her, Seymour tightened his grip, completely cutting off her breath. "Do not presume to give me orders, little sand-rat!" he shrieked.

"Let her go!" Wakka yelled, cocking his throwing arm.

"All of you put your weapons down and back away or I will break her neck!" the mad maester spat, shaking poor Rikku like a rag doll.

Just then, the blue-faced Al Bhed summoned the last vestiges of her strength and slashed Seymour across the face with her battle-claw. Shrieking in pain, the Guado dropped his hostage and clutched at his face, which now had twin shallow gashes running down it diagonally from his left eyebrow to right jaw. Yuna rushed to Rikku's aid and healed her, while everyone else converged on Seymour, but he lashed out with another burst of dark wind, pushing them back again. "How much longer can he possibly keep this up?" Charlie muttered under her breath while narrowly avoiding the spires of ice that erupted from the floor.

Meanwhile, Kimahri had taken a spike in the left shoulder, but charged anyway, clearly intent on nailing Seymour to the wall with his spear. However, the Guado turned and caught the Ronso with a thunderbolt, throwing him to the floor. Auron took advantage of the maester's distraction and rushed him, sword flashing brightly in the chill light. Seymour turned and managed to fend off the first couple of blows with his staff, but finally, it shattered under the swordsman's assault with a resounding crack. His weapon gone, he stepped back, seeming to think that the guardian would not strike down an unarmed man, but he was gravely mistaken.

Auron did not stop his attack, but lunged forward and ran the lunatic through with what looked like the full length of his blade. Seymour's eyes widened in shock as the guardian yanked the sword out again and walked away. Blood pouring from the hole in his stomach and from his mouth, the demented Guado dropped to his knees, and then looked up at his killers. "Yuna…you would pity me now?" he asked as the summoner stepped forward, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

Then the light faded from the maester's eyes, and he keeled over backwards, unmistakably dead. Solemnly, Yuna knelt down beside him and gently closed his eyes. As Charlie watched, a great swell of pity surged up within her, but whether it was for Seymour and his madness, or Yuna having to fight him, she could not say. Suddenly, the door leading back into the ice-tunnel opened, and Tromell entered the room, followed by a pair of female Guado clad in long robes. "Lord Seymour!" the elderly attendant wailed, quickly shuffling down the stairs when he spotted his master lying in a pool of his own blood. "What happened here?"

"What…what have I done?" Wakka cried, staring down at Seymour's body in horror as the Guado trio rushed over.

"Hey, this isn't our fault!" Charlie yelled, glaring at the blitzer. "That crazy bastard attacked us!"

"You did this?" Tromell asked, looking aghast at the guardians.

"Yuna, send him," Auron said, ignoring the elderly Guado's cry of horror.

"No, stop!" Tromell yelled, moving as if he might shove Yuna. "Stay away from him, traitors!"

Then the two assistants hauled Seymour to his feet and dragged his dead body out of the room. Their boss followed them, shooting the party a dirty look before disappearing beyond the door. Yuna dropped to her hands and knees in shock at what Tromell called them, and whispered, "Traitors?"

"We're finished," Wakka groaned, shaking his head dejectedly.

"Wait just one damn minute!" Charlie shouted. "Seymour's the one who tried to kill us! We just defended ourselves, so we didn't do anything wrong! We can just explain what happened, can't we?"

"It won't be that easy…" Auron replied, looking around at the bloodstained room. "Let's get out of here."

…

"This is just great!" Charlie grumbled, staring at the full expanse of the true Cloister of Trials. "Why did this stupid thing decide to reappear now?"

"Whenever someone leaves the Cloister of Trials, the enchantments in the temple reset the tests for the next summoner to pass through," Lulu knowledgeably replied. "The only thing we can do now is complete the trials and find our way out of here.

Charlene sighed, but chose not to say anything else as she explored the room, slipping and sliding on the icy floor. Finally, she made her way to the far wall, where she found a diamond white sphere with tiny ice crystals floating around it. _"I know I'm going to regret doing this…"_ she sighed inwardly, picking up the frosty orb.

Just as it had in the other temples, time came to a stop, and a disembodied voice rang out in her mind. _::Welcome, Charlie.::_

"_Hey, who are you? Are you with the others? You aren't going to give me some kind of annoying advice about opening up to others, are you?"_

The voice, quite obviously female, chuckled, _::Yes, I work with the others, and I know you do not want the advice, but I will give it to you anyway. Whether you decide to heed it or not is entirely up to you…:: _

"_Oh God…"_

_::Those walls of ice you insist on building do their job quite well, but they will not stand forever:: _the voice said, ignoring Charlie's groan. _::You may not like that idea, but just remember that your walls keep out love as well as pain…::_

"Oh yeah? Who the hell said anything about me loving anyone?" Charlie shouted, not realizing that time had started again.

She turned around, and found everyone staring at her with the usual "Freak Show" stare. "Charlie…did you hit your head or something?" Rikku asked, warily eyeing her friend.

"Uh…I didn't say that out loud, did I?"

"Yes…" Auron said tersely. "Now let's go."

With that, the swordsman turned on his heel and stalked off, muttering dire threats under his breath. Charlie thought about telling him to turn around and say whatever he was grumbling to her face, but then decided against it. Finally, the group managed to reopen the tunnel and escape into the great hall, where they found Tromell and several Guado soldiers waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. "Please…" Yuna pleaded, seeing the grim expressions on their faces.

"Give us a chance to explain," Auron said, glaring at Tromell.

"No need," the elderly Guado smoothly replied. "I already know what I'll tell the other maesters."

"Meaning…?"

"Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before becoming a maester."

"Hey, you'd better let us go old man!" Charlie growled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Get out of our way, before we have to do something you'll regret!"

"Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did," Tromell replied, clearly unafraid of the young woman's threat.

"Wait, wait!" Rikku shouted, trying to turn things back in the party's favor. "Jyscal's sphere! We can show that to them!"

"Oh, you mean this?" The faithful attendant pulled the incriminating sphere out of one of the voluminous sleeves of his coat, held it high in the air, and then slowly crushed it. "The Guado take care of Guado affairs," he said, smiling at the dismayed expression on everyone's faces.

Charlie blinked in shock at the destruction of the only proof their innocence, and then gritted her teeth as she sought to control the rage bubbling up inside her. "You…STUPID BASTARD!" she screamed, punching Tromell in the jaw with all her strength.

As the old Guado staggered backward, the guards rushed to his aid, leaving the group an opening to make their escape. "Run!" Auron shouted, leading the break for freedom.

The seven of them ran through the ice and snow of the narrow trail as fast as they could, but apparently, it was not fast enough, since they still had to stop and fight as some of the Guado guards caught up to them and summoned fiends to attack them. Eventually, the group made it out of the temple and into the frozen canyon, but the Guado did not relent in their pursuit, forcing everyone to stop and fight yet again. Meanwhile, Charlie struggled against something growing inside her, the same vengeful wrath that stirred back in the antechamber of the temple, only now it was stronger. _"What's happening to me?"_ she silently screamed as her vision filmed with red. _"What's going on?"_

Suddenly, a stray lightning bolt hit her, her control broke, and her sense of self was lost in an overpowering rage that made her blood sing a song promising violence and death. Charlie threw her head back and howled in a chillingly accurate imitation of a wolf, causing everyone in the area to stop and stare at her. She ignored them, however, and howled again, before charging toward their pursuer and his white wolf. The fiend lunged at her, but instead of stopping, the young woman whipped her sword around, nearly shearing the creature in half, and continued her charge. In a panic, the Guado lobbed a Blizzard spell at her, but she acted as if she did not feel it and fell upon her attacker like the end of the world.

After the unfortunate guard finally stopped screaming and died, Charlie looked around for a moment, as if confused, but then another Guado minion appeared around the corner and she ran to meet him, shrieking like a happy maniac all the while. "Charlie, what are you doing?" Wakka shouted as she cut down the soldier and continued running back toward the temple.

"She's going to get herself killed!" Lulu exclaimed, her ruby eyes wide with disbelief. "Charlie, come back!"

"She cannot hear us," Kimahri said, shaking his head. "Battle is in her blood now. Charlie fights until victory or death."

Everyone stared uncomprehendingly at the Ronso for a long moment, but then the scream of another dying Guado pierced the frigid air, bringing them back to reality, and they turned around and chased after their berserk friend.

A few minutes later, after passing the bloody corpses of at least six Guado, the gang finally caught up to Charlie on the ice-bridge leading to Macalania Temple. The now-crazed guardian was using a live, screaming Guado as a trampoline, hopping up and down in time with the highly disturbing song she was bellowing at the top of her lungs.

_Remember when you ran away  
And I got on my knees and begged you  
Not to leave because I'd go berserk?  
WELL  
You left me anyhow  
And then the days got worse and worse  
And now you see I've gone completely out of my mind!  
AND  
They're coming to take me away, ha ha!  
They're coming to take me away, ho ho hee hee ha ha…_

At that point, Charlie drifted from the laughter in the song to wild gales of the real thing, ceasing her jumping as she did so. Just then, one of the other Guado edged forward, and she stopped her laughing and pointed her sword at him. "Oh, do you want to die now, Elf-Boy?" she asked, her voice dangerously soft. "I have no problem helping you get to the Farplane, if that's what you want." The minion gulped, then hastily stepped back, much to Charlie's disappointment. "Aw, come on! Don't you want to rescue your friend here from the 'Big Bad Monster'? No? Well, I guess I'll have to come to you and show you stupid elves why the Farplane threw me out!" She took a step toward them, waving her sword in the air. "I'LL GIVE YOU SORRY SONS OF BITCHES A REASON TO CALL ME A MONSTER!"

"Charlie, stop!" Yuna shouted, moving to the front of the group.

The berserk guardian froze in her tracks and turned around. "Y-Yuna?" she asked, looking confused. Then she looked down in horror at the blood on her hands and her sword, and cried, "Oh God, what have I done?"

Suddenly, one of the Guado cast a Fire spell on her, and the mad rage quickly overtook her once again. Charlie whipped back around, shrieking foul obscenities, and prepared to charge again, until Auron threw his arms around her and dragged her backwards. "Let me go! Let me go!" she shrieked, kicking wildly since she could not move her arms.

The young woman continued her frantic struggling, desperate to get loose, until Kimahri walked up and snatched her sword away. Then she let out a scream of rage and kicked him in the shin, just before he hit her in the head with a massive, blue-furred fist. "Don't try to follow us," Auron told the Guado squad as he kept the now-unconscious Charlie from cracking her head open on the ice.

"We didn't plan on it," the lead minion warily replied. "We just want to save our comrade. Go ahead and leave if you wish. We won't try to stop you."

The swordsman nodded, then picked Charlie up, threw her over his shoulder, and led the group away from the temple in silence.

…

Ven Guado watched Lady Yuna and her guardians depart, sighing with relief as they took their maniac with them. "Praise be to Yevon," he intoned. "I thought she was going to kill us all!"

"Begging your pardon, sir, but won't Lord Seymour be angry with us for letting them get away?" asked one of the new recruits.

"They won't get away," Ven explained. "There's no way they'll make it past the Wendigo waiting out in the field." He started toward their fallen comrade, who still moaned feebly, and said, "Come on, let's get him inside before he freezes to death."

…_Flash…_

Charlie opened her eyes and blinked for a couple moments, thinking she had gone blind, but then realized that she was lying in a dense fog. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, getting to her feet and looking around. "Where is everyone?"

The lost girl wandered around for what seemed like an eternity, but then the fog cleared and she found herself at the edge of a vast forest, beyond which was an empty clearing. Suddenly, the little boy in purple appeared, but he was not looking at Charlie. Instead, he stared at the opposite side of the meadow, where several glowing figures emerged. "I hope you're happy!" the boy snapped, glaring accusingly at a form in burning red. "What were we supposed to do if she got herself killed?"

"Okay, so I went a little overboard," the crimson image replied, sounding much like the voice from Kilika Temple. "What was I supposed to think? You said she needed all the help we could give her!"

"He did not mean turn her into a rampaging lunatic!" yelled a frosty white light, obviously the one from Macalania Temple. "How is she supposed to help us if she goes berserk every time she gets angry?"

"We want her to open up to the others more, not less!" added the sky-blue figure from Besaid. "She already thinks she responsible for her best friend's death, so how do you think she's going to react when she realizes that she really is responsible for someone's death now?"

"Well…I…" If it were possible for a floating light to squirm, or scuff a toe on the ground, this one would have done so. "I just wanted to help her, that's all," he finally whispered.

"_I don't know why, but that red light guy reminds me of Gatta,"_ Charlie thought to herself. _"Whoever he is, he sounds really young…not as young as the brat, but he may be around my age."_

Just then, another light, the color of steel in sunlight, appeared. "Maybe I should have handled it instead," he said in a rich baritone voice.

The boy in purple shook his head and replied, "No. You were the only one who could give her the necessary skills to properly use that sword." Then, he turned back to the red figure and said, "I know you tried to help her, but that really wasn't the way to go about it."

"Maybe you should tone it down a bit?" suggested a bright green light in the voice from Djose. "The fact that you enhanced her endurance was good, but driving her into a rage went a little too far. Now we'll have to block it out of her memory so she doesn't have a breakdown when she wakes up…"

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke lying facedown on the ice out in the field where she and the other previously fought the machina-cannon with no memory of her dream, feeling like her arms and legs weighed several tons and wondering how she got there. "What's going on?" she croaked, struggling to get up when she heard the sounds of a battle. "What's happening?"

Slowly, the young woman managed fight past her exhaustion and get to her feet just in time to see Wakka and Lulu bash what looked like a huge, white Sasquatch with a simultaneous blitzball and Fira attack. The yeti-like creature stumbled backwards, let out a loud roar of pain, and then smashed its fists into the ice before exploding into pyreflies. Suddenly, a loud snapping sound rang out through the frosty air, and the ice beneath the group collapsed, plunging them into darkness.

…

When Charlene next opened her eyes, she was in the ruins of an ancient city, with pyreflies floating around in the haze like living stars and a woman's voice singing the song from the temple. "Where are we?" she asked, sitting up and trying to keep from passing out again.

"I believe we're under the lake ice," Lulu replied, turning around to look at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." The mage pointed up, toward the bottom of a hanging building. "That's the bottom of the temple, which means we've fallen a long way."

"Oh."

Charlie stared at the temple for a little while, before finally getting to her feet and walking up to Auron. "What now, I wonder," he said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean, 'what now'?" she cried, gaping at him as if he was insane. "Auron, you mean to tell me that you waltzed in, proclaimed yourself leader of this little pack, bossed us around like there's no friggin' tomorrow, and now you're telling me you've just been playing everything by ear all this time? That has to be the most irresponsible thing I've heard in my life! Everyone's counting on you, you know!"

"A lecture?" he asked, his voice gone dangerously quiet.

"If that's what you want to call it. Look, all I'm saying is that everyone else looks up to you, because you're either older and supposedly wiser, or because of your whole 'Legendary Guardian' reputation, and they'll all merrily follow you off a cliff if you ask it of them, so you need to stop and think about what you're doing."

"What about you?"

"I follow you because I'd like to think that you and I are friends, and I can't just let a friend run headlong into trouble without at least trying to help." The young guardian hung her head and sighed, and in her thoughts, added, _"Besides, even if you hated me, I'd still follow you because I have nowhere else to go if I don't."_

Auron gave her a peculiar look, but said nothing else, so Charlie went to look for the others and found Wakka lurking in a corner, looking quite obviously upset. "Hey, Wakka…I'm really sorry about what I said about your brother," she told him, her voice almost a whisper.

"That's not what I'm mad about!" he replied.

"What, are you mad about what happened with Seymour? He attacked us and we defended ourselves! We did what we had to do."

"That doesn't matter! I've always walked the path of Yevon…but now I'm a traitor. How could this happen? Damn!"

The blitzer threw an ugly look in Rikku's direction, but Charlie stepped in the way and said, "Hey, it would have happened whether she was here or not, so don't try to blame it all on her, either."

He paused for a moment, taken aback, and then changed the subject. "What happened to you back there?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused. "Back where?"

"When we ran from the temple, you turned around and started chasing the Guado…don't you remember?"

"Wakka…I don't remember anything after we got out of the temple until I woke up and saw you and Lulu kill that Sasquatch." _"What happened that has him so freaked out, and why can't I remember it?"_ Charlie walked away, shaking her head in bewilderment, and went to check on Yuna, who was unconscious and under the care of Rikku and Kimahri. "How is she?" she asked the Al Bhed, who had a worried expression on her face.

"She's breathing fine and all," Rikku replied. "How are Lulu and Wakka?"

"Wakka's pretty upset, but Lulu's just acting like nothing's wrong, as usual."

"She's so together…all grown up, I guess."

"I suppose…"

"Well, just give me five or six more years," the Al Bhed grinned.

"You make it sound like Lulu's an old lady or something," Charlie laughed. Then she turned to Kimahri and asked, "You got any ideas on getting out of here?"

"We climb," was the Ronso's only reply.

"Hey, no changing the subject!" Rikku cried, stamping her foot and splashing water on everyone.

"Only those who try will become," Kimahri said, his gold eyes boring into her green ones.

"Huh?" The Al Bhed was confused.

"Uh…I guess he means you'll have to work at it if you want to be like Lulu," Charlie said.

"Oh, I will!"

"Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku."

"Hey!" Rikku protested, approaching the Ronso. "Are you saying that I'll never be like Lulu? Kimahri!"

Charlie laughed, and then Wakka ran up and cried, "How can you laugh at a time like this?"

"Would you rather I break down in tears?" the young woman retorted.

…

A little while later, Yuna had finally awoken, and was now explaining her actions to everyone. "I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about his father, Lord Jyscal. I wanted to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgment."

"In exchange for marriage?" Lulu asked.

The summoner nodded. "Yes, if that's what it took."

"And what did the bastard say?" Charlie wanted to know.

"He didn't say anything. Now…now I don't even think it was worth it. I should have told you all what I was going to do."

"Enough," Auron said, irritation clear in his voice. "Dwelling in the past is futile."

"Hey! You don't have to say it like that!" Rikku cried, turning around and glaring at the swordsman.

"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" he demanded.

"You don't have to say it like that," she repeated, turning to face Yuna again.

"Our immediate concern is Yuna's pilgrimage," he said as if he had not heard her. "Are you willing to go on?"

"Yes," Yuna replied. "But then, do you think Yevon will allow it?"

"The fayth are the ones that give power to the summoners, not the temples or the teachings," Auron replied. "If the temples try to stop us, then we will defy Yevon, if we must."

"Damn!" Charlie exclaimed, surprised at his vehemence.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Rikku cried.

"Count me out," Wakka said, stubbornness clear in every line of his body. "We have to atone, make up for the sins we have committed. Of course…it's not like I ever liked Maester Seymour, ya? No way I'll ever forgive him for killing Lord Jyscal and for trying to do us all in too, you know? But going up against Yevon? No way!"

"_What a goddamn idiot!"_ Charlie thought, rolling her eyes. _"The only thing the other Yevonites are going to do is try to kill us for killing that rat bastard! I don't know about you, but I've got better things to do with my time than die needlessly."_

"Still, we have transgressed and must face our punishment," Lulu said.

"_Oh God, not you too!"_

"We must go to Bevelle," Yuna decided. "We must speak with Maester Mika and explain what has happened. There is no other way, I think."

"I agree," Wakka nodded.

"Sir Auron…" the summoner began, turning to the swordsman.

"So it is decided," he replied.

"Will you come with us?"

"I am the troublemaker, after all."

"Exactly!" Charlie added, grinning broadly. "Auron is the master of complicating things!"

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed. "Kimahri roars, and Auron runs off, and…"

"I never asked you to follow me," the guardian growled irritably.

"But that's what friends do," Charlie told him.

"Thank you," Yuna said, laying a hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Auron gave them all a peculiar look, but said nothing, instead walking away. "Man…how can you all act like nothing's wrong?" Wakka wanted to know. "Must got nerves of steel or something."

"You're too edgy," Lulu replied. "Listen to the hymn and calm down."

"The hymn?" Charlie asked. "Oh, you mean the song! Where is it coming from, anyway?"

"It's coming from the temple," the mage explained. "It is Yevon's gift, and it soothes the hearts of the faithful."

Charlie thought about making some choice comment about Yevon, but changed her mind and went to talk to Auron instead. She found him standing alone in a dark corner of the ruins, listening intently to the song as it echoed through the damp air. "Jecht used to sing this song," the swordsman explained when he finally noticed her curious look. "Tidus did, too."

"Back in Zanarkand? I bet it really made you homesick, didn't it?" _"I should be homesick, but I guess I'm getting used to being here in Spira. Hell, it's not like very many people would miss me if I never came back, anyway."_

"Maybe," Auron evasively replied.

"Hey, since you're from Spira, how in bloody hell did you get to Zanarkand anyway? Did Sin carry you?" When he didn't answer, Charlie nodded and said, "That's what I thought."

Suddenly, the singing stopped and the ground shook, as a huge shadow appeared overhead. "Sin!" Yuna gasped, staring up at the ice overhead.

The rest of the group followed her eyes, and surely enough, the great monstrosity floated high above their heads, but strangely enough, not moving. "What the hell?" Charlie cried as she started to get dizzy. "How did it get up there?"

"The toxin! Watch out!" Lulu cried, right before she passed out.

One by one, the gang dropped to the floor, overcome by the closeness of Sin, until Charlie was the only one left standing. She felt an alien presence nudging tentatively at the edge of her mind, so she looked back up at Sin and asked, "Hey, are you trying to talk to me?"

Just then, her vision filled with white fog, and when it cleared, she was back in the dream-city with Jecht standing on the platform, staring at her in silence. All of a sudden, a ghostly echo of the hymn rang out through the empty air, and Charlie said, "You were listening to the song, weren't you?"

Jecht nodded, and then several images of what could only be Zanarkand flashed before her eyes, almost too quickly for her to register. "You just want to go home? But you can't, because you're Sin now." A foreign wave of homesickness mixed with gratitude flooded through her, and she said, "You're glad I decided to stay, huh? Well, I promise I'll find a way to help you, so just behave yourself a while longer, okay?"

The blitz star gave her a dazzling smile, and then slowly faded away, taking the dream-city with him. Before he disappeared completely, however, he winked roguishly at her as an image of Auron briefly popped into existence, then vanished again. _"What the…? Now Sin is trying to throw the man at me? Damn, he must be really bored or something…"_


	23. Painful Truth

Chapter 23: Painful Truth

When Charlie finally awoke again, she found herself lying facedown in a shallow pool of softly glowing water. _"Where am I?"_ she wondered, standing up and looking around. Beyond the immediate view of the strangely verdant grass and palm trees, there was nothing but sand and heat shimmers as far as the eye could see. _"Wonderful. You just HAD to drop my ass off in the middle of a goddamn desert, didn't you, Jecht? I just hope you dropped others somewhere nearby, because I don't want to die while searching for them."_

Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the ground snapped her out of her mental ramblings, and she turned around and saw her travel pack lying in the sand. "Gee, aren't you the gracious one?" she muttered, knowing Jecht probably would not hear her. "Well, I guess it makes up for you leaving me in the middle of this god-forsaken place, so whatever."

After determining how much she had left in the way of supplies, Charlie hoisted her pack over her shoulder and hiked out into the desert to search for her friends. She had not gone very far, however, when a huge dark shadow appeared overhead and swooped down on her. She just barely managed to evade the attack by dropping to the sand, and then quickly got up again, drew her sword, and turned to face her assailant. Her attacker looked like a Garuda, only several times bigger, with black and brown feathers and glowing blue-violet veins on the undersides of its wings. "Holy shit, that thing's HUGE!" she yelled, slowly backing away.

The gigantic bird let out an ear-splitting shriek, its beady green eyes glittering coldly, then dove at Charlie and tried to smash her into the sand with its monstrous beak. The young guardian managed to get out of the way of the gaping jaws, and struck it across the face with a one-handed slash while trying to keep from keeling over from the reek of its putrid breath. The horrible fiend let out a cry of pain, but did not stop its attack, instead knocking her down with a great gust of wind from its wings. Sensing a moment of weakness, it snapped at her again, but missed as she rolled out of the way and stabbed it in the eye. Bellowing in pain and gushing dark purple blood out of its ruined socket, the great bird backed off, giving Charlie the time she needed to get up and try to run away.

Suddenly, something tackled her to the sand, and when whatever it was finally let her up, she turned over just in time to see Auron standing there, facing off against the giant fiend despite the nasty slash running across his back. "Are you all right?" he called over his shoulder, keeping his eye on the bird.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but you're not!" Charlie cried, getting to her feet again. "You're bleeding…badly, at that!"

"I'm fine," he replied, slashing at the fiend again when it got too close.

"_You sure don't look like it!"_

Charlie and Auron continued to hold a stalemate against the giant bird, or "Zu" as the swordsman called it. It did not last long, however, before Auron finally dropped to his knees, overcome by the loss of blood, and the monster moved in to strike. Finally, just when all seemed lost, a bolt of lightning ripped though the dry desert air, driving back the Zu as Lulu entered the fray. "You look like you could use some help," she commented, raising an eyebrow.

The younger girl nodded, and together, the two of them managed to drive off the Zu. "Auron…here, take this," Charlie said, holding a Potion out to him once the battle ended.

"No. I have no need for it," he stubbornly replied, trying to get to his feet and failing.

"Sir Auron…" Lulu began, but then he cut her off.

"I said I'm fine!"

"Shut up and take the goddamn Potion!" Charlie cried. "Don't make me force you to take it!"

Auron opened his mouth to make a retort, but then paled, passed out, and fell face first into the sand. "No, no, NO!" the young woman shrieked, quickly turning him over and pouring the glowing liquid down his throat.

Unfortunately, the unconscious guardian spit out at least half the Potion, but what he did swallow was enough to improve his color and stop the bleeding for the moment. "Lulu, do you have any Potions with you?" Charlie asked, looking back up at the black mage.

"No, mine were all shattered when I woke up earlier."

"Well, I don't have any more, and Auron will die if we don't do something!" Just then, the memory of the softly glowing pool in the oasis ghosted in front of her eyes, so she grabbed her "patient's" arms and started dragging him. "Don't just stand there! Grab one of his arms and help me!" she said when Lulu gave her an incredulous look.

Together, the mage and the swordswoman managed to drag their unconscious friend to the oasis and laid him out in the shade. "Why did we bring him here?" Lulu demanded. "How is being here going to help him?"

"I think there's a Life Spring leaking into the pool," Charlie explained, tugging at Auron's coat as she did so. "Do you see how the water's glowing? If I'm right, then it should work like a weak Potion."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we're just as screwed as we were out in the desert!" the younger guardian snapped, still fumbling with the straps on Auron's glove. "Now stop asking me questions and help me strip him."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't mean strip him naked! We just have to get his coat and armor off so we can do something about his injuries!"

Lulu, apparently finally hearing the desperation in Charlie's voice, strode over and helped her pull off their injured friend's bloodstained and torn attire, completely revealing the injuries inflicted on him by the Zu. A long, deep, and now half-healed gash stretched from his right shoulder to just above his waist, threatening to start bleeding again, but not doing so now. _"Come on, Charlie…you can't fall apart yet!"_ she told herself, fighting back a wave of hysteria. _"Freaking out won't help him at all!"_

Just then, Lulu, who had left to investigate the pool, returned and said, "You were right; there is a Life Spring in there. It's a small one, but the water should be enough to help Sir Auron if we use it on him."

…

Eventually, night fell, and Charlie, after telling Lulu she would take first watch, went back to tending to her friend. "Auron, you're such a big idiot," she whispered, not noticing the tears running down her face. "Why did you have to go and do a stupid thing like that? You're supposed to protect Yuna…not me." _"Please don't die on me, Auron! I couldn't bear it if someone else I care about dies in my place!"_

"_See? You DO care about him,"_ said the tiny voice in the back of her mind.

"_Shut up! I don't care about him like that! I can't love him…I can't love anyone…"_

"_Girl, you need to quit lying to yourself,"_ the voice admonished. _"Is it really so difficult to admit that you might care for him more than you think you should?"_

Charlie ignored her conscience and continued trickling some of the glowing water across Auron's back. After what seemed like an eternity, the terrible wound finally closed completely, and the injured guardian woke up. "Charlie?" he said, turning over on his back so he could see her.

"Hey, be careful!" she hissed, pushing him back down when he tried to sit up. "Your wound hasn't been closed that long, and it won't take much for you to tear it open again. Hell, you're lucky to be alive! You'd be dead now if you hadn't been wearing your armor when that bird attacked. We managed to get the blood out of your clothes, though."

"We?"

"Lulu's here, remember? She's asleep right now, though, so keep your voice down."

Auron nodded, and then realized that it was not quite as dark as he thought it was, since he could see Charlie's face despite the lack of a campfire. The waxing moon was shining brightly in the clear desert sky, and although it was not as bright as day, there was still enough light to see by, and he could see the tears streaking down her face. "You're crying," he noted, watching the drops with fascination.

"I don't cry," she said flatly, scrubbing away the tears. "You're just imagining things."

"You're a poor liar," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not lying!" she stubbornly replied, retreating behind her walls. "Now go back to sleep and let me take care of you."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me…and you can't keep watch all night," he told her, sitting up again.

Charlie pushed him back down again and shook her head, smiling gently. "Yes, I can. Auron, you took care of me that night when we were stuck in the canyon, so it's only fair that I take care of you now."

…

The next morning, Charlene awoke on Auron's bedroll, with him nowhere in sight. _"How did I end up on…"_ Suddenly, she heard Lulu's throaty chuckle, and turned around. "Lulu, did you make me go to sleep?"

"I wasn't born yesterday, Charlie. I know you thought that I wouldn't notice if you let me sleep the whole night, so I waited until your guard was down and used a Sleep spell on you," the mage replied. "You really shouldn't try to do everything by yourself."

"_But it was my fault Auron got hurt to begin with…" _"All right, I'm sorry I didn't wake you!" Charlie sighed before looking around. "Where's Auron?"

"Up here," the swordsman called from above.

The two women looked up and spotted Auron sitting on a boulder, finishing the last repairs on his coat. Once he finished the final stitches, he stood up, admired his handiwork, and put it on. "I'll have to get some new armor later…" he muttered to himself as he climbed down from the rock. "The others are still missing…we search!"

"But we're supposed to remain in one place if we get split up!" Lulu protested.

Auron ignored her, picked up his things, and walked off into the desert. "Apparently he doesn't care," Charlie commented, picking up her own things and following the swordsman.

Some time later, the three guardians found a ruined machina half-buried in the sand, and Wakka sheltering beneath it. "Hey Wakka!" Charlie shouted, waving at him. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know," the blitzer replied, standing up and brushing sand off his pants. "Isn't Yuna with you?"

Auron and Lulu remained silent, so Charlie answered for them. "No, we haven't seen her either."

"Damn it!" Wakka shouted, kicking the unoffending machina and hurting his foot. "First I lose Yuna, then I'm ambushed by machina! Great day I'm having!"

Although he continued to grumble, the vertical-haired blitzer rejoined the group and took part in their search for the others. Eventually, the four of them ran into Kimahri as he failed in yet another attempt to climb a sand dune. "Yuna gone," he stated sadly once he turned around and noticed them.

"Hey, that isn't your fault, okay?" Charlie reassured him.

The Ronso did not answer, instead walking away and leaving the group to follow him. Apparently, his sensitive nose picked up something theirs did not, because he led them straight to Rikku, who was hiding in a little shelter in the sand. "Hi guys!" she cheered, running up to meet them. "Where's Yunie?"

"Gone…" Lulu sighed dejectedly. "Some guardian I am."

The Al Bhed studied the mage's expression for a moment, and then said, "There's something I wanna tell you, but promise not to say anything, okay?" When Wakka fixed her with a baleful stare, she added, "No glaring, either!" The blitzer backed off, and Rikku continued to speak. "I know where we are. We're on Bikanel Island, and there's a place us Al Bhed call Home near here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!"

"You mean kidnapped!" Wakka retorted.

"Look, if she's safe, does it really matter?" Charlie demanded, stepping between the two of them.

"That's right!" Rikku cheered. "Anyway, I will take you there if you promise not to tell anyone about it…especially not Yevonites! You know they don't like us Al Bhed, so who knows what they'll do if they found out about it!"

"Gimme a break!" Wakka growled. "What're you accusing Yevon of this time?"

"Yevon did something really bad to us before," she replied in a small voice.

"Hah! You Al Bhed must've deserved it!"

"Both of you stop it!" Charlie shouted. "We've got to find Yuna now, so argue about this later, damn it! Wakka, will you just make the damn promise so we can get the hell out of here already!"

Wakka stared at the young woman as if she had lost her mind, but finally said, "All right, I promise!"

…

Several days and many seemingly endless miles of burning sand later, the six of them arrived in another continuous stretch of the now-irritating stuff. "How much longer can this possibly go on?" Charlie screamed, feeling like she was going mad with the sun burning through her night-dark hair.

Suddenly, an odd but familiar tugging sensation drew the young guardian toward a large pit in the sand. Inside the hollow lay a large, sun-bleached chest that looked like it might shatter in a high wind. Opening it carefully, she found another round metallic disc like the ones she found in Besaid, Luca, and the Mi'ihen Highroad, only this one was colored dark silver, and engraved with the image of waves on a storm-tossed sea. "Kochav Kama…" she read aloud as she examined the tiny script near the edge of the disc. "I wonder what it means."

Just then, a horrible shriek rang out overhead, and Charlie looked up in time to see a Zu swoop down on the others with outstretched talons. Fortunately, they spotted the giant bird before she did, so they were able to evade the attack with relative ease. Rushing to join her comrades in battle, Charlie noticed that the fiend had several fresh injuries, one of which was a sunken-in socket where its right eye used to be. _"It's that same bird from the other day! It just has to be!"_ Then she caught up to it, hacked her way through one of its delicate wing membranes, and shouted, "It's time for Round Two, bitch!"

The Zu dropped to the ground, screeching in pain and anger as it was no longer able to fly. Unfortunately, it was still an extremely dangerous adversary, despite its "handicap", with its superior size, massive jaws, and reeking breath. "This thing's looking pretty ragged-out, ya?" Wakka said, whacking the monster in the head with his blitzball.

"That's because Charlie, Sir Auron, and I fought this fiend several days ago," Lulu explained as she lobbed a Watera spell at it.

"Uh…can't we just kill this thing and worry about who did what to it later?" Rikku gasped, looking slightly green from the Zu's disgusting breath.

Suddenly, the great bird crow-hopped forward and pecked at them, but Kimahri gouged out its other eye with his spear, and it quickly backed away again. Now blind as well as flightless, the Zu was unable to effectively defend itself and quickly fell under the assault of the party. "Oh great! We kill the damn thing, only to end up smelling like giant bird funk!" Charlie complained when the awful stench did not dissipate with the vanishing of its progenitor.

"What are we supposed to do about it?" Auron wanted to know.

"Hell, I don't know!" the young woman snapped. "I'd just rather not attract every fiend for twenty miles."

"Zu is big predator," Kimahri rumbled. "Fiends avoid us now."

"So you're saying we should just continue traveling through the burning desert smelling like a giant dead bird."

The big Ronso wrinkled his nose, but nodded and continued trudging through the burning sand in silence. Charlie looked at the others, but since they all just shrugged and decided to go along with Kimahri's idea, she didn't really have a choice in the matter. _"I swear my goddamn nose is going to rot off before we get to where we're going!"_

…

After what seemed like an eternity of stewing in bird-reek, Rikku finally stopped them at the base of an insanely large sand dune. "It should be just over this hill," she said before scampering up it with the agility of a squirrel.

Just as she disappeared over the top of it, however, she let out a shriek of horror, and everyone quickly clambered up the dune after her. Once they got to the top, they saw a horrible atrocity as it unfolded below them. A huge compound, quite obviously built with machina, was under attack from a huge swarm of fiends of all shapes and sizes, and while the inhabitants were fighting back valiantly, it was quite clear they were losing. "Yuna's down _there_?" Wakka demanded, staring at the chaos in horror.

"Of all the places…" Lulu sighed, making her way down the hill. "Let's go!"

The guardians sprinted through the remaining stretch of desert, and then fought their way past the marauding fiends as they attacked the defending Al Bhed soldiers. "Son of a…where the hell is Yuna?" Charlie shouted, skidding to a stop when she stepped in a puddle of fiend blood. _"This is insane! Who in God's name would be sick enough to pull something like this?"_

Suddenly, a wounded soldier crawled toward them on his hand and knees, his other arm wrapped around his stomach. When he reached Rikku, he collapsed, and she quickly turned him over on his back and shouted, "Keyakku, fru tet drec du oui?" (Keyakku, who did this to you?)

"Yevon…Guado…" he managed to croak out before dying.

"Keyakku!" Rikku wailed, tears streaming down her face as she clung to the dead Al Bhed.

"Yevon has declared war with the Al Bhed?" Lulu asked incredulously, looking around at all the carnage.

Just then, a powerfully built, bald man in a sleeveless yellow jumpsuit appeared and said, "Dryd ec fnuhk! Guado ku vun dra summoner." (That is wrong! Guado go for the summoner.)

"Vydran…" Rikku murmured, backing away as the stranger knelt down and held the now-dead Keyakku. (Father…)

"Father? Rikku, this is your father?" Charlie asked, staring at her friend.

"Yes," she replied. "Cid is my dad…and the leader of the Al Bhed."

Before anyone could say anything else, Cid got to his feet and fixed the group with a piercing stare. "You Rikku's friends?" he demanded. When the group, save for Wakka, nodded, he then turned and ran for the door, shouting, "Well don't just stand there, come on! Let's kick those Guado out of our Home!"

"He sure is gung-ho about it, isn't he?" Charlie said to Rikku as they followed him into the building.

"Yeah," the Al Bhed replied. "Now let's go save Yunie!"

"And everyone else we can!" Charlene added.

Together, the party made their way past the flames that were quickly filling the corridors and came to a stop at their first intersection. "Yuna, where are you?" Wakka bellowed, drawing the attention of a nearby Guado minion.

"Thanks for gathering together so I can kill you all!" the elf cackled as he summoned a trio of Bombs.

"I don't think you'll find us easy prey," Auron smirked, hoisting his katana over his shoulder.

The fight began when the Guado tossed a small, dark sphere at Lulu, which she deftly avoided before launching a Blizzara spell at one of the flaming fiends. In response to the flunky's attack, Rikku and Charlie rushed forward, the former swiping the elf's belt, and the latter chopping off his arm as he raised it to cast a spell. As the Guado stepped back, gripping his now-bleeding stump and howling like a kicked dog, the swordswoman continued her charge, turned her blade around, and nearly ripped him in half with her backswing. "That's for blindly following that sick handlebar-headed bastard, you stupid son of a bitch!" she yelled as the light faded from the Guado's eyes.

As the dead minion dropped to the floor, Charlene turned around just in time to see Auron shear one of the Bombs in half, while Kimahri, Wakka, and Lulu finished the other two. "What in Yevon's name are those Guado thinking?" the blitzer wondered aloud.

"This is terrible!" Rikku wailed, her jade eyes brimming with tears.

"_Yes…it is,"_ Charlie thought to herself as they continued down the corridor in their search for Yuna.

A few minutes later, Rikku stopped the gang to listen to some orders Cid barked out over the intercom. Due to the roar of the flames, and the crackling of sporadic interference, Charlene did not catch all of what was said, and listened intently as Wakka asked, "What did he say?"

"We have to get underground!" Rikku told everyone, not answering the blitzer's question.

"Where's Yuna?" Auron demanded, clearly refusing to move another step until he knew where she was.

"She's in the Summoner's Sanctum!" the Al Bhed replied, dashing away down a different path from before. "That's this way!"

…

After yet another battle in which a foolish Guado and his fiends died, everyone stopped and looked around the slowly burning room. "This place done for," Wakka commented solemnly.

"You're right, Wakka," Rikku sadly replied. "We Al Bhed…we weren't always like this. Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live, and after that, we were scattered to every corner of Spira, but then my dad brought the Al Bhed together again. If we put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new home. Everyone worked hard, and we had our Home back again. But now…why did things have to turn out this way?"

It would have taken a man with a harder heart than Wakka's to ignore the pain in the young Al Bhed's voice, so he pulled her close and let her cry into his chest, since she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulder. "Damn those Guado!" the blitzer yelled. "What are they thinking?"

Just then, yet another Guado appeared, along with a pair of Chimeras, apparently itching for a fight. This time, Wakka and Rikku handled the lackey, while everyone else quickly dispatched his fiends and hurried down the stairs. Suddenly, Lulu stopped Rikku and asked, "What is the Summoner's Sanctum?"

"The Summoner's Sanctum is where we keep the summoners," she explained. "We keep them safe there."

"You kidnapped them," Wakka said flatly.

Rikku nodded, then replied, "I know it's against the teachings and all that…"

"I get why you did it, but…" Wakka interrupted, but then Charlie cut him off.

"I don't understand. Why do you kidnap the summoners, Rikku? Who's supposed to face Sin, then? Aren't the guardians supposed to be the ones to protect them?" When no one answered her, she then asked, "You guys…did I say something wrong?"

"It's quiet. Kimahri goes now," the Ronso said, striding down the rest of the stairs.

Everyone else followed him, leaving Charlie to wonder what was wrong. _"Why did they all go quiet like that? It IS a guardian's job to protect the summoner…isn't it? What the hell haven't they told me?"_

…

The Summoner's Sanctum looked like it was once a well-appointed room, but now it was burning and crumbling, and the bloody corpses of several Al Bhed lay everywhere. "Yuna!" Kimahri roared, his amber eyes glowing in the firelight.

For a brief moment, there was no answer, and then Dona's voice rang out over the roar of the flames, an uncharacteristic note of sadness coloring it. "She's not here. Please wait over there until we have performed the sending."

Charlie peered through the smoke, and then she saw Isaaru, Maroda, and Pacce standing there next to the Kilikan summoner. "They died…protecting us," Isaaru explained. "It's not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending."

As the two summoners performed their rites, Pacce bounced up to Charlie and asked, "Hey, what's 'sacrificed'?" When she gave the little boy a confused look, he added, "The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacrificed…that summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage."

"But…why? Can't they just let the guardians do their job?" she asked, looking up at the others.

"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Rikku shouted. Charlie turned to stare at her, and she continued to speak. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand…they might defeat Sin. Yunie could…but then she…Yunie will die, you know?"

Charlene blinked, thunderstruck at this grave announcement. "What?"

"You know, don't you?" Rikku continued hysterically. "Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon…Yuna told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin…but then…if she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her. Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know!"

Seemingly spent, the Al Bhed dropped to her knees, leaving Charlie to stare at her as if someone smacked her in the face with a board. "Why didn't…why didn't anyone tell me about this?" she whispered. "Were you all hoping to hide it from me, waiting to spring it on me at the last possible moment? WHY IN BLOODY HELL DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?"

"We weren't hiding it…" Wakka began.

"It was just…too hard to say," Lulu finished.

Charlie stared at all of them, her eyes wide with horror. "How could you people do this?" she screamed. "I thought she was like family! Why didn't you try to stop her? You're all monsters, every single one of you!" Then her eyes fell on Auron, who watched her in silence, and she quickly rounded on him. "And you! You're worse than they are! You watched her old man go through this, you watched him die, and you've been spending all this time rushing Yuna along at breakneck speed, just so she could join him? DAMN YOU! I can't believe I ever gave a damn about a soulless monster like you!"

Everyone else froze, probably in disbelief that anyone would speak to the "Legendary Guardian" in such a manner. Auron, on the other hand, closed his eye and turned away from her. _"She is lashing out in anger. She thinks she means what she says now, but really doesn't. It might make it easier to let her go on hating me, but…why does it hurt so much to hear this from her?"_

After yelling at Auron, all the rage seemed to drain out of Charlie, and she fell silent. "Charlie, don't you think we tried to stop her?" Lulu asked. "She follows her heart."

"Yuna…she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner!" Wakka said. "To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!"

"But Wakka, that's just totally wrong!" Rikku cried. "Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"

Just then, Dona and Isaaru walked up, as a swarm of pyreflies took on the form of a white Sasquatch. "But that is our choice…" Isaaru said as he began his summoning.

"We all live in fear of Sin, you know that," Dona included, adding her own call to his.

"A world without Sin…that is the dream of all Yevon's children, and we will use that power, even if it means our lives!"

Brilliant lights flared throughout the room, and Ifrit interposed himself between the group and the Sasquatch, while Valefor alighted on the floor next to Charlie, who dropped to her hands and knees, fighting the storm of tears that threatened to overwhelm her. "I call them monsters…" she said aloud, not caring who heard, "But I'm the biggest monster of all! I told Yuna all those things about going to Zanarkand without even knowing, and she'd just sit there and smile at me…" _"Oh God what the hell have I done!"_ She wanted to hate them, she DID hate them, but mostly, she just hated herself. _"I've done it again…I've caused more pain and suffering to people I care about…"_

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the grief-stricken young woman, and she looked up to see Valefor standing overhead, using her wings to shelter her. As Charlie stared up at the bird aeon, flashes of memory overtook her.

…_Flash…_

Marcus and Charlie stood side-by-side on the dock, amazed at the size of the fish she had caught. "Hey, Charlie, you're really pretty when you smile," Marcus told her as she threw her fish in the bucket. "You should do it more often…"

…_Flash…_

Charlie and Yuna stood on the balcony in Luca. "I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know?" Yuna said, her two-colored eyes filled with kindness.

…_Flash…_

Charlie sat in her bed at the hospital, staring at the wall in bleak despair. Marcus, her oldest and dearest friend, was dead, and no matter what anyone said, deep down, she knew it was her fault. _"Marcus…oh God, what have I done? It's all my fault, and…I never told you how I really felt…and now it's too late…"_

…_Flash…_

Yuna and Charlie laughed hysterically as everyone else watched them warily. When they finished, the summoner wiped the tears out of her eyes and said, "Thank you. I want my journey to be full of laughter…"

…_Flash…_

"_No…I won't let another friend die because of me."_ Charlie got up, turned around, and fixed the staring group with a piercing, determined gaze. "I'm not letting Yuna die!" she said, daring anyone to tell her otherwise.

"That's nice," Maroda nervously replied, as a piece of the ceiling barely missed hitting him. "Now can we get out of here before the roof caves in on us all?"

…

After running up a shadow-shrouded flight of stairs into a large vehicle that looked vaguely familiar, Charlie found herself standing in some sort of control room while Cid barked orders to the tattooed boy. "Hey, where's Yuna at?" the young guardian demanded. When the bald Al Bhed ignored her, she grabbed his shoulder, and shouted, "Frana ec Yuna? Damm sa, tysh ed!" (Where is Yuna? Tell me, damn it!)

"What'll you do when you find her, eh?" Cid wanted to know.

"I'm going to set things right!"

"And then what? You're gonna drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin?"

"NO! I won't let another friend die because of me!" Charlie yelled.

"Hah…words!" Cid scoffed, glaring at her. "Show me action!"

"I already told you; Yuna's one of the closest friends I've had in a long time, and I refuse to let her die!" she replied, biting off the words as she spoke.

"Girl, don't forget those words, 'cause if you do…" he growled, sounding like a massive bulldog. "I'm gonna make you regret it."

"I swear that I won't." Then she paused for a moment, before asking, "Well, do you know where she is?"

"Course not, that's why we're gonna look!" He gestured grandly, before adding, "Using this airship!"

"A-airship?" Wakka gulped.

Just then, Brother shouted something from the pilot's seat as the airship's engines roared to life, and Cid shouted something in response, that, while Charlie did not understand completely, knew it meant something along the lines of "Yeehaa!" Then a rather large amount of sand rained past as the ship left the underground docking bay, and sailed skyward. _"Holy hell, we're actually FLYING!"_ Charlie thought, amazed that they were airborne.

"Fruy! Ed vmeac!" Brother exclaimed, working hard to keep the massive vehicle steady. (Whoa, it flies!)

Then Cid made another command that Charlie did not understand, and after some muttering, the tattooed Al Bhed began to sing the Hymn. His father and the normally silent copilot joined him in a mournful chorus, and then Wakka asked, "What's goin' on?"

"We're…we're going to blow up our Home," Rikku sorrowfully replied, tears streaming down her face.

"_Oh no…"_

"How?" Lulu wanted to know, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"With one of the forbidden machina," Cid explained, before turning his attention to the copilot. "Nayto? Vena!" (Ready? Fire!)

The nameless copilot nodded and pushed a button, and then a few moments later, the ship shuddered violently as a wave of fire washed over it, threatening to destroy them all. Fortunately, Brother did something right, because the airship's speed increased, and it quickly outstripped the oncoming wave of destruction. Then he broke down in tears and Cid tried to comfort him, while Wakka tried to do the same for Rikku. "Hey look, don't get so down," he told her cheerily, a friendly smile plastered across his face. "Boom! Like happy festival fireworks, ya?"

Rikku blinked for a moment, and then shouted, "You can cram your happy festival, you big meanie!"

As the Al Bhed stormed off, Charlie walked up to Wakka and punched him in the mouth as hard as she could. As he staggered backwards, she screamed, "You sorry son of a bitch! How DARE you say something like that! You oughta be ashamed of yourself! You know what? The next time you get the urge to speak, why don't you do the universe a favor and just chew on your hair instead, you pineapple-headed dingbat!"

She seriously considered hitting him again, but before she could act on that impulse, she turned around and stalked off down the hallway, not even glancing at Auron. When she got out the door, however, Kimahri grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Charlie must stop," he said, staring down at her.

"Let me go!" she growled, amazingly keeping her voice below a sonic boom.

"No. Kimahri worried."

"Since when? It won't matter if anything happens to me…not as long as Yuna is safe, and even then, she's only safe until she gets the Final Aeon and dies!"

"Charlie important too. Kimahri knows this."

She stared up at the Ronso in stunned silence for a moment, all the fight gone out of her, and then whispered, "Kimahri, I'm not important…what could a nobody like me possibly do that has any importance."

"Make Yuna smile," he simply replied. "Charlie make Yuna happy."

"But…I said all those things…" Finally, Kimahri released her, and she said, "I'm sorry. I just need to be alone for a while."

…

Sometime later, Charlene finished exploring nearly every nook and cranny of the ship. Along the way, she ran into Isaaru, who was not quitting his pilgrimage, and Dona, who was. She had tried to convince the former otherwise, but he was adamant in his decision, so she left him alone. On her way back to the bridge, however, she ran into Rin, who seemed quite happy to see her. "Well, well. It appears you, too, have escaped harm," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, but how did you get here? I thought you were taking care of your Travel Agencies?"

The merchant nodded. "I came to Home to pick up some goods and found myself here. Quite the escape, is it not?" Then he let out a sigh of relief and said, "Thankfully, my goods were spared, so please let me know if you need any of my wares."

Charlie started to say no, but then remembered that she had no Potions left, so she bought several from him. Once their transaction was complete, he thanked her, then asked, "How is your progress with our language, by the way?"

"Quite well, actually," she replied, smiling for the first time in a while. "Hela du saad oui."

"Just repeating what I've said is not talking, now," Rin said, still smiling.

"Yna oui cu cina ypuid dryd, Sycdan Rin?" Charlie impishly replied, drawing a startled look from the entrepreneur. (Are you so sure about that, Master Rin?)

"Very good!" he applauded. "You've been studying, I see."

"Yes, I have, and Rikku's been helping me practice. Well, I hate to rush, but God knows what kind of trouble everyone's getting into on the bridge."

After bidding Rin farewell, Charlene headed back to the bridge, and walked in just in time to catch a big fight between Cid and Auron. "After rescuing Yuna, then what?" Auron demanded, glaring at the Al Bhed leader. "You want to keep her safe, correct? Would you seek to stop her pilgrimage?"

"_Oh dear Lord, please tell me this idiot's not fighting with the captain of the ship on his own bridge!"_ she prayed in vain.

"Of course!" Cid yelled, returning the glare. "If she continues this fool pilgrimage, she will die, sure as if you killed her yourself! No hare-brained law or teaching can send my little niece to her death! When I save her, I'll make her give up being a summoner quicker than a desert melts ice!"

Auron and Cid continued to glare at each other, looking like a couple of big dogs that have not decided to fight…yet. Seeing this, Charlie decided to break it up before it could escalate to "yet". "I hate to break up your _lovely_ little testosterone festival," she said in the most obnoxious tone possible, "But don't you two think you should stop drowning everyone in your overpowering 'manliness' and figure out where the hell Yuna is?"

Everyone, including the two arguing men, stopped and stared at her as if she had just spoken Martian. The dumbfounded silence continued for a long moment, until Brother shouted, "Vydran! Fa vuiht Yuna!" (Father! We found Yuna!)

"Frana?" (Where?)

"E femm cruf oui!" (I will show you!)

The tattooed Al Bhed then pushed a button on the console, and a large overhead screen lit up, showing a huge temple with several platoons of soldiers. An image of Yuna appeared, but she was wearing an odd-looking white dress, with a sad expression on her face. Standing next to her, in an even crazier looking outfit of gray, white, and black, was Seymour. "HOLY FLAMING HELL!" Charlie shrieked when she saw the maester. "Where are they?"

"The Palace of St. Bevelle, heart of Yevon," Lulu explained, looking surprisingly calm.

"Well what are we waiting for?" the swordswoman cried. "Let's go get her!"

"Easy, kiddo," Cid replied. "Bevelle's defenses are top-notch."

"What, are you scared or something? Let's just go down there, get her, and then get the hell out of there!"

"You've got guts, kid," the Al Bhed leader chuckled. Then, he turned to Brother and barked, "Cad luinca du Bevelle! Vimm cbaat yrayt!" (Set course to Bevelle! Full speed ahead!)

Brother shouted a response and increased the ship's speed, nearly throwing everyone to the floor in the process. "It'll take a while to get to Bevelle, so in the meantime, get ready for battle."

Charlie nodded, but remained silent as her thoughts tumbled over one another restlessly. _"How the hell is Seymour still alive? I watched that bastard die, so there's no way he could have come back…unless he's some kind of weird zombie. Oh great, that's just one more screwed-up thing we have to deal with!"_


	24. Operation Rescue

Chapter 24: Operation Rescue

Looking back on it later, Charlene never would remember exactly how much time passed when she prepared herself for the inevitable assault on Bevelle. Time seemed to move in leaps at one moment, and crawled at a snail's pace the next, but eventually, she made her way back to the bridge to rejoin the others. Once there, the young guardian voiced the question that had floated in the back of her mind since they saw Yuna in that image with Seymour. "How did Yuna end up all the way in Bevelle, when the rest of us ended up on the island?"

"One of the Guado squads found her out in the Sanubia Desert," Cid bluntly replied, before going back to…whatever it was he was doing.

Charlie pondered that for a moment, and then turned her attention to Rikku and Auron. "What's Seymour doing alive?" the blond thief asked. "Didn't we take care of him back in Macalania?"

"_That's a very good question. Why did he come back? I thought those who weren't sent became fiends. Of course…Seymour was the human equivalent of a fiend anyway, so I guess it wasn't that big a stretch for him…"_

"He is dead," Auron replied, interrupting Charlie's thoughts. "As dead as Jyscal was. His attachment to this world kept him from the next."

"Whoa, scary!" Rikku exclaimed, shuddering slightly.

"That's nice and all, but why would Yuna agree to go with the Guado?" Charlie wanted to know. "I mean, she could have just summoned an aeon and flattened them all, right?"

"Yuna must be trying to send him," the swordsman answered, not looking at her.

"I wonder if that will work…" Rikku trailed off thoughtfully.

"Perhaps he won't expect it."

With that, Auron fell silent and refused to speak again, so Charlie turned her attention to Wakka and Lulu. "I'm glad Yuna's okay and all, but what's with those fancy clothes?" the blitzer asked.

"It's called a wedding dress," Lulu replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?"

When no more explanations were forthcoming, Wakka just shook his head and sighed, but did not say anything else. Charlie started to speak to him, but then the ship shook violently as the ear-piercing cacophony of several different fiends' cries rang through the corridor. Just as the shrieking subsided, Rin strolled onto the bridge. "We're being attacked from within," he explained as calmly as if he discussed the weather. "Some of the Guado that attacked Home must have snuck on board."

"_Thank you for that startling revelation, oh wise one!" _Charlie thought to herself _"We NEVER would have figured that out on our own!"_

"You're awfully calm about it!" Cid sneered as the ship trembled again.

"I am calm about most things," Rin simply replied.

"Fiends! There's nothing to do but…"

"Destroy the ship and all go down together!" Rikku interrupted, using a comical impersonation of her dad's "cowboy" accent. When he gave her a startled look and fell silent, she shook her head and sighed, "You gotta learn a little restraint, Pops. If we crash the ship, we can't go rescue Yunie!" Then she stood next to Charlie, took on a heroic pose, and said, "Leave the fiends to us professionals!"

"Yeah, so kindly back away from the self-destruct button and let us deal with the monsters, Mr. Trigger-Happy," the swordswoman added, her blue eyes dancing with amusement at the Al Bhed leader's crestfallen look.

"Thanks," Rikku cheered, beaming at Charlie.

"Rikku, you've made some very good friends, I think," Rin said, clapping both girls on the shoulder.

Then the merchant bade everyone farewell and headed out the door. "Well…" Auron began, with a feral gleam in his eye as he shouldered his katana and strode toward the door, "Shall we get started then?"

…

Some time, and many fiend battles later, the group arrived in the cabin area of the ship, and stopped to take a brief rest before finishing off the rest of the swarm. Then Auron glanced out the window and commented, "Huh, now there's a rare sight."

"What is?" Charlie asked, before looking out the window. Outside and flying parallel to the ship was a huge, serpentine dragon with a pink body, a blue-grey underbelly, iridescent purple wings, and a yellow mane streaming from its silver horns all the way down its back. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, nearly falling over backwards in surprise.

"What is that?" Rikku shrieked.

"The guardian wyrm, Evrae," Lulu gasped, staring at the dragon as it dove out of sight below the clouds. "The great sacred beast...protector of Bevelle!"

"_It looks like Puff the Fairy Dragon to me!"_

"The red carpet has teeth," Auron chuckled.

Charlie blinked, staring at the swordsman in complete disbelief. "Auron…was that a JOKE I just heard?" she asked incredulously. _"I think I've lived to see the End of Days…or someone spiked my water or something."_

Before Auron could answer her, however, Cid's voice crackled out over the intercom. "Rikku, you read me?" he barked. "We're going to fight that thing, so get on deck and show him what you've got!"

When the intercom fell silent again, the Al Bhed sighed, "There he goes again."

"The ferryman asks a high price," Auron said, heading toward the hatch.

"Wait a minute! You mean we're going outside?" Charlie asked, her face growing pale.

"Is that a problem?"

"Uh…well…I just happen to have this severe dislike of being on the outside of something that's flying ten thousand feet in the air at speeds that only giant flying pansy-snakes can match!"

"Too late to back out now!" Rikku said, giving her friend a sympathetic look. "Pops just volunteered us, so we'd better get moving."

"_Oh dear God, I think I'm going to be sick!"_

By some strange miracle, Charlie managed to avoid having a messy accident on the elevator, although she did look a little green when they finally emerged on the deck. Wakka looked at Charlie as if he wanted to say something, but then Evrae drew close and hissed at them all, forcing them to take various defensive stances. Then there was a clanking noise as the cannons on the side of the ship opened, and Cid's voice rang out over the intercom again. "We gotta keep our distance, but we can't let her get too far away!" he told them. "You all have to tell me when to move, but tell me quick, eh? This rig ain't so nimble, you hear?"

"Right! I'll tell you when to move!" Rikku shouted back, narrowly dodging a swipe of Evrae's sword-like claws.

Then the battle began in earnest as the great wyrm lashed out with both talon and fang. Everyone managed to evade the attacks with relative ease, but only Wakka and Lulu were actually able to counterstrike without the risk of falling overboard. Suddenly, the dragon latched onto the deck, and began tearing great rents in the ship with its massive claws. As the squeal of tortured metal rang out above the howling of the wind, Cid's voice came back on the intercom as he shouted, "Stop tearing holes in my ship, you bastard!"

Whatever else the Al Bhed leader might have yelled was drowned out by Evrae's scream of pain as Kimahri plunged the heavy spike of his lance through its hand. Then the Ronso jerked the spear backward through the flesh between it's middle two talons, and another shriek of agony, along with a fountain of bright silvery-blue blood rewarded him. Then the dragon-fiend lunged forward and snapped viciously at him, its sapphire blue eyes glowing with obvious hatred, but it backed away again as Lulu cast a Fira spell at its face, and Auron and Charlie hacked away at its arms in an attempt to get it to let go of the ship. Evrae released its grip on the deck, and then Rikku shouted, "Vydran, suja yfyo!" (Father, move away!)

"Right, hang on!" he replied.

Just before the ship could move away, however, the dragon took in a deep breath, and then blew a huge green cloud of poisonous vapor at the party. Her lungs burning and eyes watering, Charlie staggered backwards, then fell over when the ship lurched and veered away from Evrae. _"What the hell was that stuff?"_ she thought, struggling to catch her breath through the waves of fire and nausea that pulsed through her body. _"Why can't I breathe?"_

Suddenly, someone tilted her face upward, forced her mouth open, and poured something unbelievably bitter down her throat. The young woman's eyes flew open in surprise as she swallowed whatever it was, but then she felt herself go limp with relief as the burning subsided. "Charlie, are you okay?" Rikku asked, helping the swordswoman get to her feet.

"Yeah, I'll be okay, but where did Big, Pink, and Scaly run off to?"

As if in response to her question, Evrae let out another shrieking roar from the distance, and launched a volley of gold-white energy spheres at the airship. The vessel shuddered violently under the assault, but thankfully managed to stay airborne, even as the great wyrm tried to land again. This time, however, Rikku drove it back with several well-timed grenades, just as the intercom crackled to life again. "Hang on everyone!" Cid cried. "I'm hittin' her with all we've got!"

Evrae started to swoop forward again, only to meet a salvo of high-powered missiles head-on, and its screams of pain quickly faded under the sound of the massive explosion that followed the attack. Then all was silent, save for the howling of the wind as it whipped by at impossible speeds, and the smoke cleared, leaving nothing but empty sky in front of them. "So…did we get it?" Wakka asked, looking around warily.

A horrible scream of insane rage split the air again, as the dragon climbed over the back of the ship. Its body covered in terrible burns and bleeding lacerations, and its wings nothing but tatters of singed flesh; Evrae was definitely alive, and very angry. The fiend screeched again, its eyes gleaming with a mad light akin to Seymour's, and it dropped onto the deck, tail lashing like a cat's. "Oh…damn…" Charlie trailed off, neatly summing up everyone's thoughts of the situation.

Evrae charged again, seemingly determined to shred the puny creatures that dared attack it, and everyone had to fall back, or risk a painful and messy death courtesy of its severely mutilated claws and flashing teeth. When that did not work, the dragon tried using its poisonous breath again, but when Wakka retaliated with an assault that covered his blitzball in flame, everyone, including Evrae, discovered that the toxic vapors were also flammable. The green haze erupted in a massive, fiery explosion, which left everyone battered and singed, and the dragon without its head. Now dead, the fiend's corpse slowly slid sideways off the deck and burst into pyreflies as everyone got to their feet and gave Wakka some odd looks. "What?" he demanded, staring back at them. "How was I supposed to know its head would explode?"

Suddenly, a huge plume of black smoke started pouring from the back of the airship, and it shuddered violently as it rocketed skyward, then tilted and plunged downward through the clouds. Charlie clung to the deck, and squeezed her eyes shut when they broke through the fog and she saw the ground rushing up to meet them at impossible speeds. _"Oh God! Oh God! Oh great God I'm gonna be sick!"_ she thought, swallowing against the lump in her throat as her stomach turned backflips and somersaults.

Finally, the airship pulled out of its screaming nosedive, Evrae's pyreflies swirling all around them as they pulled close to the bridge hanging above the temple-palace of Bevelle, and the warrior monks and machina creatures guarding the event opened fire on them. Then the ship pulled to a stop, and a pair of huge, harpoon-like anchors shot out of the bottom and buried themselves in the pavement. "We're supposed to slide down those?" Charlie asked, her face paling even more.

"Yep," Wakka replied.

"Wonderful…" _"God, I hate heights! Why in all that is holy do we have to deal with heights?"_

_::Let me help you then,:: _the little boy in purple said, seizing control of her body.

"_Hey, what are you doing?"_ she mentally shrieked as her body skated down the wire seemingly of its own volition._ "I didn't say you can possess me!"_

_::Oh calm down, I'm not possessing you! I'm just helping you get down without splattering yourself on the pavement,:: _he blithely replied as she flipped to the side and land on the other line. Then, when they finally reached the bottom, the boy released his hold on her, and said, _::See? That wasn't so bad, was it?::_

"_My ass, it wasn't! I wish you were around so I can throw up on you!"_

_::Oh, don't worry…we'll meet again soon!::_

With that, the voice vanished from her mind, just as Lulu appeared in front of her in a puff of dark blue smoke. "Sweet merciful Christ on a cracker!" Charlie shrieked, nearly falling over. "How in blue hell did you do that?"

"It's an old trick mages learn in case of an emergency," Lulu replied, keeping her eyes on the soldiers in front of them. "Can we discuss it later?"

"Right." Charlie turned her attention to Yuna, who stood with Seymour on the other side of a seemingly endless swarm of guards and machina. "Yuna! We're here to crash the party!"

"You'll have to get through us, first!" a soldier snarled, pointing his rifle at her.

Kimahri roared, snatched the gun out of the guard's hand, then picked him up by his throat, and growled, "Kimahri not have problem with that!"

Then the Ronso chucked the mouthy warrior monk over the ledge, whipped out his spear, and started tearing a bloody path through the other monks, as the unfortunate one's scream faded away. The others followed Kimahri, striking down the ones he missed with various attacks. They managed to make it to the foot of the stairs, when a pair of machina, one leggy and the other with a pair of cannons, blocked their way. The leggy one unleashed a savage kick on Kimahri, while the cannon blasted the rest with a mortar shell. "Hey, I thought that machina were forbidden by Yevon!" Charlie shouted, giving Wakka a sidelong glance.

"I did too!" the blitzer replied, whacking the leggy machina with his blitzball.

Auron then used that moment of distraction to get inside the stone robot's reach and hack off its leg, leaving it thrashing helplessly on the ground while its partner tried to bomb everyone again. "Watera!" Lulu shouted, throwing her hand skyward as her eyes began to glow blue.

In response to the mage's call, a geyser of water burst from the pavement, smashing the floating machina to bits and clearing a path up the stairs. The six guardians managed to make it up to the next flight, only to run into Kinoc, and more warrior monks than they could possibly deal with. "This has gone far enough!" the fat maester said, pointing his rifle in Charlie's face as the other soldiers raised their own weapons.

Suddenly, Yuna pulled her summoner's staff from behind her back and stepped out in front of Seymour. "You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me?" he asked, amusement clear in his frigid gaze. "Your resolve is admirable…all the more fitting to be my lovely wife."

Slowly, pyreflies began to swirl out of the twisted maester's body as Yuna began the sending, but then Mika shouted, "Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives?" She paused, and the flimsy-looking old man continued to speak. "Your actions determine their fate. Protect them…or throw them away. The choice is yours."

Yuna froze, and then Charlie shouted, "Yuna, NO! Don't listen to that crazy old fart! He's ly…"

The young woman promptly shut her mouth when Kinoc jammed the rifle under her jaw. "I'd be quiet if I were you," he said, glaring at her.

Yuna stared at her guardians in horror for a brief instant, and then dropped her staff and let it clatter down the stairs. "You are wise," Seymour whispered, drawing close to her.

Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, drew her close, and kissed her. Charlie heard various noises of disgust coming from her friends, but was too preoccupied with her own intense rage at the awful sight to pay it any attention. Suddenly, it occurred to her that it was Seymour kissing Yuna, and that, combined with all the flipping and flying she did earlier, proved too much for her poor stomach to handle. Her breath started coming in ragged bursts as her stomach turned flip-flops, and Kinoc actually backed away from her. "Charlie, are you all right?" Auron whispered, glancing at her.

Instead of answering, the green-faced girl turned to her left and threw up all over the warrior monk who happened to be standing there. Everyone in the area stopped cold and gaped at her in complete silence as she wiped at her mouth and sheepishly whispered, "Oops…"

The unfortunate soldier she barfed on stared in astonishment, quickly followed by rage. "Son of a BITCH!" he yelled, chucking his fouled rifle over the railing in his anger. "I don't believe this!"

"Uh…you're excused, soldier," Kinoc said, before turning and pointing the gun at Charlie again. "Girl, if you throw up on me, I swear I'll…"

"I think I'm done for the day," she softly replied, her face red with embarrassment, while in her mind, adding, _"You fat, stupid, arrogant, mother…"_

Just then, Seymour broke off his kiss with Yuna, and gave Charlie an unreadable look, before saying, "Kill them."

The remaining soldiers cocked their rifles, and Kinoc said, "I am sorry, but it is for Yevon."

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" Auron asked, giving his former friend a baleful stare.

The pudgy maester turned and pointed his rifle in the swordsman's face. "There are some exceptions," he replied, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Auron said nothing else, and just closed his eye, waiting for the bullet to pierce his brain. Charlie stared at the two men, all the while silently praying, _"Please God…not him. Point that gun at me again, if it'll make you feel better, but don't shoot Auron!"_

"No!" Yuna screamed, causing everyone to stare at her as she stood on the ledge. "Throw down your weapons! Let them go, or else…"

The angry summoner stepped back a couple of paces, and Seymour quickly motioned for the warrior monks to put down their rifles. Charlie ran up the stairs, edging around Seymour, and said, "Yuna, are you crazy?"

"Leave now, please!" she begged, taking another step back.

"We came to get you, and we're not leaving without you!"

"Don't worry, just go!"

"This is foolish," Seymour said, amazingly the voice of sanity in the conversation. "If you fall, you'll die."

Yuna gave her husband a look of sheer hatred as she fiercely wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then turned back to Charlie and said, "Don't worry, I can fly. Believe."

"_What the hell? That's usually something someone says when they're stoned off their asses!"_ Then the summoner-bride smiled, closed her eyes, and plummeted backward off the ledge. "Yuna, NO!"

Everyone hurried to the ledge to look on in horror as Yuna fell, seemingly to her death on the streets far below. Suddenly, a series of lights, brilliant as a mirror in the sun, flashed like a fireworks display, and a magenta and violet blur streaked past the onlookers with the speed and grace of a stooping falcon. "Valefor…" Charlie gasped, realizing what she just witnessed. _"If I ever get the chance, I'll have to thank her…"_

"Cover your eyes!" Rikku shouted, tossing a small object at Seymour.

The maester stupidly looked down to see what it was, and when it finally exploded, cringed as a blinding flash lit up the area. Unfortunately, Charlie did not completely avoid the light either, and vigorously rubbed at her eyes in an effort to get them working properly again, as Wakka asked Rikku about the grenade. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Charlie shouted, struggling to get free when Kimahri picked her up and carried her under one arm like a weird, living football.

"Yuna said leave!" the Ronso replied, knocking another soldier over the ledge. "We leave."

"I'm fine with that, but you don't have to carry me like this, you know!"

"Can Charlie see?"

"Not at the moment, no."

"Then Kimahri carry."

…

Finally, Charlene's vision cleared again, but by that time, the party had already arrived at the entrance of another large building. "Where'd Yunie go?" Rikku asked, cautiously looking around for more guards.

"Bevelle Palace is temple," Kimahri replied as he set Charlie down, "Yuna goes to one place only."

"She's going to get the next aeon, isn't she?" the swordswoman asked.

Instead of waiting for an answer, however, she dashed inside the temple and skidded to a stop near a set of stairs that spiraled a long way downward. _"Holy moly!"_

"It's too quiet," Lulu commented. "It may be a trap."

"Maybe," Charlie replied, "But Yuna's down there, somewhere, and we have to find her!"

Meanwhile, Rikku studied an odd-looking device near the stairs, and let out a startled yelp when a machina platform rumbled to life. "What's a machina doing in the temple?" Wakka demanded, staring at the machine in horror.

"I suppose it comes in handy," the Al Bhed replied, peering down the lengthy staircase.

"That's not what I mean! The teachings! What about the teachings?"

"Hey, don't look at me!"

Despite Wakka's complaints, they used the machina platform to reach the bottom of the staircase, where they encountered even more "forbidden" machina. "Man…" the blitzer grumbled, glaring at the machines as if they might attack at any moment.

"So this is Yevon's true face," Auron said, impassively looking around. "They betray their own teachings."

"They treated us like dirt," the vertical-haired guardian muttered, storming through the door to the next room.

Following his lead, the group made their way down the empty corridor, and stopped again in front of the door. "The entrance to the Trials," Lulu said, her garnet eyes thoughtful.

"I wonder if Yunie's really in there," Rikku thought aloud.

"Let's go see!" Wakka said, with some of his normal exuberance.

The Cloister of Trials in Bevelle was a large, mazelike structure that looked like something out of a science-fiction movie, and required the use of another machina platform, a pillar, and several indigo blue spheres in order to solve it. When Charlie picked up one of the spheres, however, time froze in its tracks, and an all-too familiar voice rang out in her mind. _::Hello Charlie. Didn't I say we'd meet again soon?::_

The voice belonged to the kid in purple, the one who dragged her to Spira. _"Son of a bitch!"_ she cursed, not really knowing what else to do. _"I swear to God you'd better not give me some line about 'love' or whatnot, because I've heard enough of it from your little playmates!"_

_::Oh, don't worry about that,:: _he calmly replied. _::I already know how you feel about the Guardian, so I won't try to convince you to do anything.::_

The way the boy said 'guardian', Charlie knew that it had more emphasis than normal, and it aroused her curiosity. _"You mean Auron? Okay then, if you aren't here to harass me about him, then what the hell do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to save Yuna at the moment?"_

_::Yes, I can see that, and you're doing a good job of it so far. Just remember that we all believe in you Charlie…::_

With that, time restarted and she was finally alone in her mind once again. "Damn brain-talking midget," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Rikku asked, poking her in the ribs to get her attention.

"Oh, never mind. I'm just thinking aloud is all." _"Nope, I still can't tell anyone about the people that talk in my head. I have no desire to visit the Spiran equivalent of the nuthouse, so I'll just need to keep that to myself."_

…

There were no clocks in the Cloister, and Charlie did not have a watch, so she had no clue how long it took them to solve the irritating puzzle of the Trial. All she knew was that they finally made it to the Chamber of the Fayth, but Yuna was nowhere in sight. "Where is she?" she groaned in frustration.

"Inside, maybe?" Wakka suggested, pointing at the door to the chamber.

"Well why are we standing around out here like a bunch of idiots, then?" Charlie walked up to the door, then banged and kicked at it, much to everyone else's dismay. "Shut up, Wakka!" she snapped, when the blitzer acted as if he wanted to say something. "I don't care about the taboos or whatever, so just be quiet!"

Then she grabbed the bottom of the door and tugged on it as hard as she could in an effort to pry it open, but it was to no avail. Finally, Kimahri strode over and helped the young woman pull it upward, and she quickly dashed inside to find her friend. Charlie found Yuna on her knees, silently praying before a glass-covered hole in the floor. Inside the hole lay an odd statue that looked like a cross of man and beast, and hovering above it was the boy in purple! "No…" she gasped, staring at the kid as he watched Yuna. "You…w-what the hell are you?"

"A fayth," Auron explained, entering the room. "They join with the summoner, and together receive the aeon. They are human souls, imprisoned in stone by ancient Yevon rites." He stood next to her, and came to a stop. "The dead should be allowed to rest."

Charlie stared at him for one long moment, surprised by the regret coloring his voice, but then the ghostly little boy floated into Yuna's body, joining with her in a bright flash of light. Then, for the briefest instant, the image of a huge dragon superimposed itself over the summoner's body, before it vanished and allowed her to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. _"The dragon…is it…Bahamut? That annoying, pain-in-my-ass little kid is Bahamut? So the other people I talked to, the people who brought me here are all fayth? That's just perfect! Wonderful!"_

Concerned for Yuna, the young woman rushed to where she lay, and pulled her to her feet. "Auron, could you come here and help me, please?" she asked, giving the older guardian a questioning look. "I can't carry her by myself, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me."

Without a word, Auron strode over and gathered Yuna into his arms, giving Charlene a peculiar look before turning and walking out of the Chamber. As the young woman watched him leave, she felt a delicious chill run down her spine. _"God, I could wish it were me he was carrying like that!"_ she thought, before shaking her head to clear out the lovely mental image. Then she followed him out, but paused when Rikku shouted, "Don't come out!"

However, it was too late, and the door closed behind them, leaving them in the room with Maester Kinoc and a squad of temple guards. "You are to stand trial," the portly maester announced, clearly relishing their predicament.

"I expect it will be a fair trial," Auron smirked, giving his former friend "The Look."

"Of course it will," Kinoc snidely replied.

"_Fair trial?"_ Charlie thought as the guards moved in on her. _"Yeah right! These corrupt bastards wouldn't know a fair trial if it walked up and slapped them in the face! Fifty bucks says that their idea of a fair trial is making up a bunch of lies about us and not giving us the chance to defend ourselves! Damn it! Why couldn't Bahamut do Sin's little trick and transport us all somewhere else?"_


	25. The Nature of Evil

Chapter 25: The Nature of Evil

Charlene glared at her "escorts" as they led her and Auron deep into the shadowed recesses of Bevelle, wishing she still had her sword, which they had confiscated when they arrested her. "Where the hell are you taking us?" she demanded, her blue eyes blazing with barely concealed fury. "I thought we were supposed to go stand trial?"

The soldier on her left, an older man with steely grey eyes, shot her a sidelong look and replied, "You are, but not until the Grand Maester calls for you, so we're putting you someplace secure until then."

Just then, another set of soldiers opened a massive iron door leading into a room where several small, completely empty cells waited. Clearly, they had not been in use for quite some time, but the faint smell of blood still lingered in the air like an ancient curse. "What the hell is this? It smells like a goddamn butcher shop down here!" Charlie shouted, failing to suppress an instinctive shudder at the stench.

Suddenly, the younger of the two guards shoved her roughly and jeered, "What's the matter, girly? Are you scared?"

"Bite me, Soldier-Boy!" she snapped, glaring at her jailer. "I'm not afraid of you, this place, OR that fat bastard you call a boss!"

"Yeah, well you should be, since no one who comes to stay down here ever sees the light of day again!" the guard growled as Charlie and Auron stepped into their cell. Then he slammed the door shut and added, "I hope you two enjoy yourselves."

With that, the two warrior monks marched out of the room, leaving their captives alone for the first time in a while. "This is just great," Charlie muttered as she gingerly propped herself against the nearest wall, "How in the name of all that is holy are we gonna get out of this one?"

"We wait," Auron replied, eyeing her over the top of his sunglasses.

Charlene stared at him for a moment as if he had lost his mind, and then asked, "Hey, you used to hang out with Kinoc, right? Does that mean that you know how to get out of here?"

He shook his head. "It won't do any good. We don't know where the others are, so escape isn't an option."

"Damn. I guess we don't have much of a choice then, do we?" Charlie sighed, sitting down and resting her head on her knees. "God this really sucks!"

A leaden silence ensued and pressed in on the two guardians for what seemed like an eternity, when Charlie looked up at Auron and said, "Hey…I want to tell you something." He stared at her but did not reply, so she continued to speak. "Auron…I'm really sorry about what I said to you back at Home. You're not a soulless monster, and I had no right to say those things to you."

"I didn't think you meant what you said," he replied, his expression unreadable. "You are not of this world, so I had a feeling that your reaction to the truth would be one of anger." The swordsman gave her a wry smile, and then added, "I just didn't realize it would be so…explosive."

Charlie flushed, then averted her gaze and coughed to cover her embarrassment. "Yeah, well that was a pretty horrible thing to learn, and finding out that everyone knew, but didn't tell me only pissed me off even more. Anyway, since we're stuck down here and have no earthly idea when those sorry sons of bitches are going to hold our trial, I think I'll take a little nap."

Auron watched Charlie drift off to sleep with a slight feeling of annoyance mixed with amusement. _"It's amazing how she can sleep at a time like this. If the boy were in her place now, he'd probably yell until someone finally shut him up."_

…

Charlene awoke bleary-eyed some time later to the sound of Kinoc's irritating voice practically right over her head. "You really brought this on yourself, you know," the plump maester said, his voice full of malicious glee. "You used to be one of us, so you should have known better than to defy Yevon."

"Kinoc, did you come down here just to tell me that?" Auron demanded, glaring at his former friend as he and two of his flunkies swaggered into the cell. "Or was there something else you had to say?"

"What, can't I come pay a visit to an old friend?"

"Since when do friends visit each other with an armed escort?"

"I prefer to err on the side of caution," Kinoc replied, a falsely pleasant smile still plastered across his face.

"Yeah right," Charlie snapped, getting to her feet and scowling at the maester and his two soldiers. "You're nothing but a damn coward! Here we are, stuck in a big hamster cage, with no weapons whatsoever, and you're still too afraid to come down here by yourself? Dear God, what courage!"

Kinoc glowered at her for a long moment, then turned back to Auron and said, "So you haven't managed to tame this one yet? You've really lost your touch, old friend."

"Tame?" Charlie asked, her voice gone dangerously soft.

"Oh yes," the maester replied, leering at her. "Auron used to be quite good at taming unruly women and…"

"Auron and I aren't together, you fat bastard!" she blurted, shaking her fist at him. "And even if we were, I seriously doubt he'd try to 'tame' me, or whatever, so you can just shut the hell up and leave us alone!"

Kinoc gave her a greasy smile, then turned to his former friend and said, "You really should have taught her what her big mouth was meant to be used for. Yevon only knows how much quieter your journey would have been if you had." He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Of course, you always did like your whores a little feisty."

"I'M NOT A WHORE!" Charlene shrieked. "I don't know who you think you are, but you have NO right to call me that, you son of a bitch!"

"Charlie, be quiet," Auron hissed, grabbing her elbow.

She wrenched herself free, and shouted, "I will not! I'll be damned if I sit here and let that overfed jackass call me a whore! No, wait, let me rephrase that: he's a pudgy, disgusting, nasty-minded whack-job whose only joy is watching people die for nothing!"

That opened up the floodgates, and all sorts of insults burst from Charlie in a raging torrent, ranging from cracks about Kinoc's looks and his family all the way up to his probable sexual prowess and the many painful-sounding (and physically impossible) things he could do with himself. During the whole tirade, the maester's face darkened until it closely resembled an enraged eggplant, and he backhanded the young woman as hard as he could. The sound of his hand cracking across her face sounded impossibly loud in the tiny room, but quickly faded into silence as Charlie staggered back and stared at her assailant with stunned disbelief. Then her shock turned into anger as she promptly returned the favor with her gauntleted right hand. "Sir, you're bleeding," one of the guards cried, as he and his comrade aimed their rifles at the prisoners.

Kinoc, indeed, was bleeding quite profusely from a long gash on his right cheek, and the sight of his own blood only enraged him further. "You little bitch!" he bellowed, slapping Charlie again.

Infuriated, the young woman moved to retaliate, but before she could, the maester struck her in the jaw with the butt of the rifle he had snatched from the nearest soldier. Her head spinning with pain, Charlene stumbled backward until she hit the wall, and then fell to the floor. She tried to get up, but Kinoc kicked her in the side as hard as he could and broke a couple of her ribs. Sparkles flashed through Charlie's vision in sync with the agony in body as she struggled to breathe. _"Oh God!"_ she thought, struggling to get up in spite of her agony. _"I really messed up this time!"_

"Kinoc, stop it!" Auron roared, stepping forward only to stop when the other soldier pointed his rifle at him. "You proved your point, now leave her alone!"

"I don't know why you're so upset, Auron," the maester casually replied, kicking his prone victim in the back. Then his look grew sly, and he added, "Unless…you have feelings for her."

"You're wrong," Charlie rasped, getting to one knee and shaking her head when Auron fell silent. "He's only concerned for me because I'm a guardian." _"He can't have any other feelings for me…no matter how I may or may not feel for him."_

Kinoc paused, eyeing both guardians suspiciously for a long moment, and then bludgeoned the young woman across her back with the rifle, knocking her to the floor again. "You're right. How could he possibly have any interest in a loudmouthed slut like you?"

Suddenly, Charlene managed to get back on her hands and knees, and spat a glob of blood on the vile maester's robes. "Fuck you, butterball," she croaked, following up the insult with an upraised middle finger.

At this final affront, Kinoc shrieked incoherently and kicked her in the side of the head. Pain unlike anything she felt in a long time exploded in her skull, filling her vision with bursts of brilliant agony, and then plunged her into dark oblivion as all the sounds of the waking world faded away. _"The little fayth boy…Bahamut…said I might disappear if I die here in Spira…I guess I'll get to find out if it's true. Hell, it'll be better than becoming a zombie monster like Seymour…I'm sorry I wasn't much help, everyone…"_

Even after Charlie lost consciousness, Kinoc, apparently in a state of berserk fury, continued to kick, stomp, and otherwise attempt to beat the life out her, until Auron shouted, "That's enough, Kinoc!"

"Oh no, old friend," the maester hissed, his dark eyes glittering with malice, "I believe it's time I made an example out of her." Then he tossed the rifle back to its owner, and said, "Reeve, get rid of her."

"But sir!" Reeve protested. "Lord Mika said he wanted all of Lady Yuna's guardians alive to stand trial!"

"Yes, but if I tell him you had to do so because she was trying to escape, I'm sure he'll understand."

"But…"

"What is going on here?" a new voice suddenly demanded.

Surprised, everyone except Charlie turned around and saw Seymour standing just outside the cell, a closed expression on his face. "What is going on?" he repeated, striding into the chamber. Then he looked down at Charlene's unmoving form, and said, "I thought the Grand Maester left orders that Lady Yuna's guardians were to remain unharmed?"

"This is none of your concern, Seymour!" Kinoc snapped, scowling at him. "You have no business down here, so why don't you just leave?"

"I do not recall asking for your permission," the Guado coldly replied, "Nor do I remember needing your permission to come down here. Or did you forget that I, too, am a maester of Yevon?"

Apparently, Kinoc _had_ forgotten that fact, and the rude dismissal he was about to deliver died on his lips. "Well…what do you want?" he asked lamely, attempt to recover his composure.

Smiling slightly at his fellow maester's discomfiture, Seymour said, "If you really must know, I came down here hoping to have a word with Lady Charlie, but now it seems that she will need the services of the White Mages before that can happen." Then he turned to Reeve, and said, "Pick her up and bring her with me."

"You can't have her," Kinoc replied, stepping in the way.

"I did not ask, now did I?"

The two maesters stared at one another for a long moment, Kinoc with a furious expression and Seymour with a cold one. After what seemed like an eternity, Kinoc backed away from the undead maester, a look of fear ghosting across his plump face. "Fine," he muttered, shuddering at whatever it was he saw in Seymour's eyes. "Take the little bitch and go."

With that, Kinoc stormed off, followed by his unnamed crony, spitting curses under his breath. Once he was gone, Auron knelt down beside Charlie and whispered, "Hardheaded fool…why didn't you do as I said? Why do you always make things difficult?" _"Charlie, please don't die."_

"I'm sorry, Sir Auron," Reeve apologized, interrupting the moment. "I have to take her to the White Mages right away."

Auron hesitated, but the sound of Charlie's labored breathing made up his mind. Finally, he nodded, and let the warrior monk pick her up and carry her out of the room. Seymour started to follow him, but paused and turned back to the imprisoned swordsman. "Do not worry," he said. "She will be returned to you as soon as she has recovered and we have had the chance to…talk."

Then he smiled, a chilling smile that did nothing to dispel Auron's steadily increasing sense of unease, and left, locking the door behind him. _"Charlie alone with Seymour…"_ Auron brooded. _"That is definitely a bad thing, but…why am I so afraid? Am I afraid of losing her?"_

…_Flash…_

Charlene crept down a long, dark corridor, trying to remain as silent as possible. She did not know what lurked in the shadows, only that it would find her if she made too much noise. How long she tiptoed through the blackness, she could not say, only that it seemed like forever, until a brilliant light presented itself at the end of the winding hallway like an epiphany. Seeing it, Charlie sprinted toward it, knowing that it was her only hope of salvation, and that all the answers awaited her at the end. Finally, she reached the light, but before she could run through it, Marcus stepped out of it, stopping her dead in her tracks in complete surprise. "Marcus? What are you doing?" she cried in open dismay as he barred her path. "We have to get out of here, NOW!"

Marcus sadly shook his head. "This path isn't for you yet, Charlie," he told her, his voice filled with regret. "I'm sorry."

"Why? Why can't I go through?"

"Because you belong to me," the serpent suddenly cackled, dropping down from the ceiling to land between the two friends.

Before Charlie could turn and flee, the giant snake bit her, just as he had in Besaid, but this time, she did not wake up. Instead, she could only watch in horror as the flesh around the wound darkened, turning to living shadows as her strength fled. "What have you done to me?" she gasped, trying to stay upright despite her buckling knees. _"Oh God, somebody help me!"_

The snake wrapped his massive coils around her before she could collapse to the floor, and held her close. "This is only the beginning," he purred, his cold eyes locked with hers, "And there is nothing anyone can do to stop it!"

Suddenly, the floor transformed into a dark, frigid sea, and both Charlie and the serpent fell into it, while Marcus, now joined by Bahamut and the black wolf, looked on in sorrow. As the young woman and her captor sank deeper into the icy water, all she could do was weep, and soon, she lost the strength to do even that as the shadows claimed her once again.

…_Flash…_

Charlene sat up with a sudden jolt and nearly blacked out again as both her head and her side made their presence felt. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, looking around the room once the dizziness and the pain subsided.

Instead of the prison, she found herself sitting in a bed in the middle of a large, lavishly decorated bedroom. Then she looked down at herself and realized that, aside from the bandages, she was only wearing her black top and shorts. "Where the hell are my clothes?"

Deciding not to wait for an answer, the young woman carefully got to her feet, wincing as her ribs twinged again, and looked around the room for the rest of her clothes. Just then, the door opened, and Seymour sauntered into the room, smiling. "Ah, I see you have recovered, Lady Charlie," he said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"What is this place?" she asked, trying to hide her fear.

"These are my quarters," Seymour explained. "You made Lord Kinoc quite angry with you, so I thought it would be best for you to recover someplace where he could not reach you."

"_Holy shit, I'm in Freak-of-the-Week's bedroom! Not good! Definitely not good!"_ Charlie shrieked inwardly, clenching her jaw to keep from screaming in terror. Then she forced herself to take a deep breath, and asked, "How long have I been in here?"

"Three days," he told her, his pleasant expression suddenly vanishing. "Had you been anywhere else but Bevelle, you would most likely be dead now."

"So…YOU saved me?" she asked disbelievingly. "Why? I thought you and Kinoc were buddies."

The look Seymour gave Charlie at that remark made her cringe. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before; insane hatred somehow carefully controlled by the barest of threads. "Kinoc is an arrogant fool who has interfered in my affairs for far too long," he snarled, his eyes filled with a cold, inhuman, rage. Then the anger vanished, as if it never existed, and he said, "The matter will be dealt with shortly, so there's no need to trouble ourselves with him, now is there?"

"No, there isn't, so if you'll just tell me where the rest of my clothes are, I'll get out of your hair…" Here, Charlie let out a squeak as the undead Guado drew closer and locked eyes with her.

"Are you really so anxious to leave?"

"Uh…yes?" She tried to pull herself free from his gaze, but it was like slogging through ice-cold molasses. "I have no business here, and I need to find…something," she concluded lamely. "Anyway, I can't stay here, so…uh, thanks for saving me, and good luck with whatever you have planned for Kinoc."

Charlene pushed past Seymour, fully prepared to walk out of the room in nothing but her halter-top and shorts, when the maester wrapped his arms around her from behind, preventing her departure. "You say you can't stay, but where else do you have to go?" he asked, his lips brushing her ear. "Even if you could walk right out of Bevelle, where could you go? You are not of Spira, remember, so who could you turn to? The Al Bhed are hated by everyone, the Ronso only allow summoners and their guardians near their homes, and the Guado…" He chuckled sinisterly. "The Guado will most definitely try to slay you on sight."

The young woman froze in her tracks. _"He's right,"_ she realized,_ "I don't have anywhere else to go."_ Her terror increasing, Charlie tried to pull away from Seymour, but he would not let her go. "Let go of me. I may not have anywhere to go here in Spira, but I can still find the one who brought me here and make him send me back to my own world!"

"Ah, yes," he purred, clearly relishing her discomfort, "The world that despises you. The world where they call you 'murderer', and 'monster'. The one where Marcus died because of you!"

"How did you…"

"You spoke of it in your sleep. You kept apologizing over and over, telling everyone that you were sorry, begged them to forgive you, but they refused to listen, didn't they?" Charlie choked back a sob of despair, and Seymour tightened his embrace, clearly reveling in her pain. "No, you can't go back to your own world, and you have killed so many people in this one, so what can you do?"

"_Killed so many…Sin killed those people in Kilika because it was following me…and Gatta and all those poor Crusaders were slaughtered…"_ She tried to remember who else might have died because of her actions, but couldn't. "I don't know what you mean. Who else have I killed?"

Seymour paused, clearly taken aback by her response, and let her go. "You mean to tell me that you don't remember butchering my guards at Macalania Temple?"

"That was self-defense!" she protested, her gaze briefly flicking toward the newly acquired scar on his abdomen as she turned to face him. "You and your flunkies tried to kill us!"

"No, no, I'm talking about all the ones you killed outside the temple. The ones you cut down one by one as they retreated. I heard that you laughed the entire time, while they begged for mercy. They had surrendered, but you slaughtered them all anyway."

The way he said it, he obviously did not care that they had died, but the comment served its purpose, and the sounds of screaming and pleas for mercy echoed in Charlie's ears as she finally remembered what happened that day. "Oh my God…what have I done?" she whispered, trying to push the images out of her mind. "I never wanted to hurt anyone…"

"_Maybe so, but that's a guardian's job, remember?"_ her conscience said. _"You had no problem cutting down those Guado at Home, nor the ones on the airship…"_

"Oh really? Can you honestly stand here and tell me that you have never enjoyed seeing another person's pain?" the maester asked, his voice rich with amusement.

"No…"

"_You lie! You wanted to hurt Seymour for threatening your friends… You enjoyed watching him die…you enjoyed watching all those Guado die!"_

"I DID NOT!" she screamed aloud, drawing a low chuckle from the Guado.

"I forgive you for killing me, you know," he told her as he ran a long finger over the pale scar, smiling when she flinched. "You and your friends actually did me a favor when you took my life, and now I have returned it by saving yours."

"Why didn't you just let me die?" _"I deserve to die…"_

"Do you want to disappear so badly? I know how the Farplane rejected you, how it threw you out and nearly destroyed your soul. Why should you want to vanish, when you can go home?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked foggily. "No one wants me back home…"

"No, but you can save them anyway. That would prove that you are not the monster they think you are, would it not?"

Charlene blinked dazedly. "Save them? What would you know about saving anyone?"

"Why do you think I married Lady Yuna?" he asked as his ice-blue eyes bored into hers. When she did not answer, he said, "I married her because I need her to help me save Spira, and I am telling you this because we are kindred spirits, you and I."

"No…that can't be right! I'm not like you at all!" _"I'm not…am I?"_

Charlie shook her head violently, and backed away from him until she ran into the wall. Still smiling, the unsent maester advanced on her, continuing to speak. "We are so much alike, Charlie. Both misunderstood and rejected by our peers…called 'monster' because of things beyond our control…having to watch a loved one die…the burning anger in our souls…I could see it in your eyes when I first saw you in Luca."

"You lie! I'm nothing like you! You're a monster, and you tried to kill me and my friends!"

"Your friends…" the Guado said flatly. "Allow me to enlighten you about the motives of your so-called 'friends'. Lady Yuna is a summoner, and Sir Auron and the others are guardians, which means that they will abandon you the moment you become a burden. Do you really want to give your loyalty to people who will leave you to die?"

"I don't…I don't…" Her mind was growing hazy, and her head hurt so much that it was getting harder to think and speak. "I can't…" _"What the hell is wrong with me? I have to get away! Have to…"_

"And do you really believe that you have the right to call me a monster, when _you_ are the one the Farplane threw out like so much garbage? As for killing…despite your protests, I know that, deep down, you have developed quite a taste for it."

"No…I don't…" _"This isn't right…so cold…alone…"_

"I just want you to help me save Spira, Charlie," Seymour said caressingly, drawing nearer. "Help me, and then…we can go to your world, and save all the people there, too."

Before she could say or do anything, he pulled her into another embrace and kissed her. The young woman tried to pull away, but stopped and let out a muffled shriek of pain when he dug his fingers into her wounded side. That, combined with the pain in her head, proved nearly unbearable, so she was not able to resist when something cold, dark, and irredeemably evil transferred itself from him to her and made itself at home. Finally, Seymour released her, leaned forward, and with a terrible light burning in his eyes, whispered, "Mihfi li wyh idihruda…"

Suddenly, the alien darkness within her shifted, as if it had awakened, and somehow, in the depths of her soul, she heard it speak to her. _**::Surrender and serve…:: **_it hissed, its voice like a distant echo of Seymour's as it slithered around the walls of ice in her heart.

"What the hell!" Charlie shrieked, aloud and in her thoughts.

Seymour laughed as the thing inside said, _**::You belong to me now… Don't bother fighting, because you cannot win… Don't try to tell anyone, because no one will believe you anyway… Just give up and embrace your fate, Charlie…::**_

"I WON'T!" she yelled, shaking her head violently.

That seemed to do the trick, for the darkness retreated, although it did not dissipate completely. "I see…" Seymour commented, eyeing her thoughtfully. "You're not from Spira, so the effects are not immediate…this should be most interesting."

"What in bloody flaming hell did you do to me, you sick bastard?" she demanded. "What just happened?"

The maester ignored her, instead turning and walking toward the door. Before he left however, he paused, and said, "The rest of your clothes are in the closet on your left. I shall send a guard to escort you back to your cell shortly."

Then he departed, leaving her alone in the room once more. _"What did he just do to me?"_ she wondered fretfully. _"Whatever he just did…it's still in me, but didn't do what it was supposed to. How do I get rid of it? Wait, I can't worry about it now, 'cause I still have to get out of here."_

With that, Charlene hurriedly fished her overalls, jacket, and shoes out of the closet, and managed to pull them on without aggravating her half-healed injuries too much. Just as she finished putting her shoes on, the door opened again, and a warrior monk appeared with a very impatient look on his face. "Come on, I haven't got all day!" he grumbled, gesturing toward the door.

Charlie followed her escort out the door, but spent most of the trip wiping at her mouth and trying not to throw up as Seymour's kiss popped up in her mind. _"God, that was so gross! I don't know how Yuna kept her stomach from turning over!"_ She shuddered, and then forced the thought out of her mind. _"Enough about that. It was nasty and now it's over, so I'm not going to think about it anymore!"_

_**::No, you would rather think about kissing the old man…:: **_the dark voice cackled. _**::I find it amusing that you have feelings for someone who is going to abandon you at the first opportunity…::**_

"_Shut the hell up!"_ Charlie snarled inwardly, more than a little disturbed by the fact that a voice in her head had its own personality. _"I don't have time to listen you!"_

_**::Oh, but we have all the time in the world!:: **_it replied. _**::I'm very patient, so I can wait for you to break down… Sooner or later, that's what's going to happen, you know…::**_

"No, it won't!" she muttered, drawing an odd look from the soldier as he opened the door to her cell.

Cursing under her breath, the young woman stepped into room and saw Auron sitting at the opposite end, staring at her as if she were a ghost. "Uh…hi," she said, feeling a little stupid. _"He's going to kick my ass, I just know it!"_

"You're alive, I see," Auron said, taking on his usual neutral expression.

"Yeah…"

"Was it worth nearly dying?"

"No."

"That was a foolish stunt you pulled!" he snapped, getting to his feet and stalking over to her. "Did you forget what I told you about Kinoc's temper?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" she cried, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, "I'm sorry I've got a smart mouth, and I'm sorry I made you worry! I'm just…sorry!" _"I'm sorry I have to be this harsh, but I don't want you to die… The Farplane rejected you, so if you die, if your soul doesn't vanish, then you'll become an unsent and I don't want you to have to deal with that."_ Auron wanted to tell her that, but instead, he asked, "What did Seymour want to talk to you about?"

Charlie blinked, momentarily confused by the sudden change of subject, but then replied, "He wants me to help him save Spira. The crazy bastard kept telling me all kinds of lies, and…"

_**::Are you so sure that they were lies?:: **_asked the darkness.

"_Shut up!"_ "And…"

_**::Oh, are you planning to tell him about me? I can just see how that will work out… 'Oh, Auron, it's terrible! He kissed me and now I have evil voices in my head!':: **_The voice laughed cruelly. _**::Go ahead and tell him! It should be quite entertaining…::**_

"And then the freak kissed me!" she blurted after a long pause.

"I see…"

"It was really gross, too!"

"I'm sure it was," he quietly replied, despite the sudden urge to go hack the undead maester into many small pieces and feed them to a Zu. "Anything else?"

"No…" _"You wouldn't believe anything else…I'd just sound like a total nut if I told you about this…whatever it is…in my head."_ She sighed heavily, and then walked over to a corner of the cell and sat down. "I'm sorry, but I'm kinda tired now, so I think I'll try and get some more sleep.

Then she leaned back against the wall, shut her eyes, and said nothing more. Auron watched her for a long time afterward, thinking to himself. _"Something else happened in there that she didn't tell me about. Why? Is she afraid I won't believe her? Nothing that Seymour could do would surprise me, but if she won't tell me what it is, then how can I help her? She is so damn stubborn!"_

"_Kind of like someone else you know?"_ another part of him suggested slyly. _"You know you like it, though. You like her."_

"_Yes, I do,"_ he admitted. _"But I _cannot_ afford to act on it, no matter how much I'd like to. I'm leaving after all this is over, and I don't want to leave any loose ends behind…"_ Finally, he shook his head and sighed, "Standing here, talking to myself…I must be getting senile."


	26. Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Chapter 26: Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Some time later, the guards returned and hauled Charlene and Auron from their cell and were led into a room where they saw Yuna and the others standing beneath several platforms, being looked down upon by Seymour, Kinoc, Mika, and an elderly Ronso maester. "The High Court of Yevon is now in session," the Ronso said, his green eyes staring coldly at the summoner party. "The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but the truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: believe in Yevon and speak only truth."

"Uhh…who is that?" Charlie whispered to Lulu.

"Maester Kelk Ronso," the mage replied, as if it answered all the mysteries of the universe.

"Oh."

"Summoner Yuna, you have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?" Kelk asked.

"Yes," she replied.

The Ronso gave her a thoughtful look, then said, "Then consider this: you have inflicted dire injury on Maester Seymour Guado, and conspired with the Al Bhed and joined their insurrection. These traitorous and unforgivable crimes disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence."

Yuna stared up at the maesters, who gave her various expressions of smug superiority in return, and then said, "Your Grace…the real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed his father, Jyscal, with his own two hands!"

Astonished, Kelk whipped around and stared at Seymour. "What is this?"

"Haven't you heard?" the Guado asked, clearly not caring about the accusation.

"Not only that, Maester Seymour is already dead!" Yuna quickly added, giving her "husband" a look of pure loathing.

"It is the summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane!" Lulu said. "Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!"

"Grand Maester Mika, please send Seymour now!" Yuna pleaded.

The withered old man stepped around Kelk, to the front of the podium. "Send the unsent to where they belong?" It was not a real question, but more of a thought.

"Yes!" the summoner nodded fervently, but stopped when the ancient maester began to laugh. "Maester?"

"Send the dead, hmm?" Just then, several pyreflies floated around him as his body turned transparent. "You would have to send me, too."

"What?" Wakka all but shrieked.

"_Holy crap!"_ Charlie thought, as her eyes grew wide as dinner plates. _"Is everyone in this god-forsaken place a corpse?"_

"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader," Maester Kelk calmly explained. "Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira."

"Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living," Kinoc added.

"_Maybe so, but the dead don't have the same kind of priorities as the living, either!"_

"Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal," Seymour said.

"Men die, trees die, beasts die, and even continents perish…only the power of death truly commands in Spira. Resisting its power is futile," Mika concluded, staring down at Yuna with unreadable eyes.

"But what of Sin?" Yuna cried. "I am a summoner, my lord, like my father before me, and I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings! Are you…are you telling me that, too, is futile?" The young summoner was clearly angry now. "Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin…their battles, their sacrifices-were they all in vain?"

"Not in vain," Mika slowly replied, as if to a young child, "No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot truly be defeated…the rebirth cannot be stopped. Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a summoner."

"Never futile, but never ending," Auron said flatly.

The Grand Maester nodded, and then said, "Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon."

"Lord Mika!" Yuna cried, but the undead old man ignored her protests.

"Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner…"

"No, that can't be right!"

"Those who question these truths…" Here, he paused for effect. "They are traitors!"

"Lord Mika!" Yuna screamed again, but went unheard as the guards rushed in and hustled her and her guardians back to the holding cells.

…

Separated from the others yet again, Charlie and Auron now found themselves in a cell reminiscent of a large birdcage. "Well _that_ certainly turned out great!" the young woman snapped as she paced her side of the cage like a tiger. _"I should have known that those bastards weren't going to let us go!"_ Then she sighed and sat down, wincing as her ribs twinged. "God, I hope Yuna's okay…"

"She's strong, she'll make it," Auron reassured her.

_**::No, she won't…::**_ the voice within her laughed. _**::She's been betrayed by her faith, just as she will be betrayed by YOU!::**_

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!"_ Charlene mentally screamed at it. Finally, it fell silent, even though she could still feel it lurking within her. "She'll make it…" she muttered, "But only to die! Auron, why in hell is everything in Spira about dying?"

"Ah, the Spiral of Death," Auron said, sadly shaking his head. At her confused look, he continued to speak. "Summoners challenge the bringer of death, Sin, and die doing so. Guardians give their lives to protect their summoner. The fayth are the souls of the dead, and even the maesters of Yevon are unsent. Spira is full of death. Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death. It is a cycle of death, spiraling endlessly."

"But…that's just wrong…" Charlie softly replied. "This can't possibly go on forever, or there'll be nothing left of anything." She looked up at Auron. "Is that why you wanted Yuna to face this? To show her what is happening to the world?"

The swordsman did not answer her, but then, he didn't need to. He said everything he needed to say in the sorrowful expression on his face. The two of them sat in silence for a long while, until Kinoc showed up, along with two more flunkies. "Come out. Your sentence has been decided," he told them, his voice full of barely suppressed glee.

"Sentence?" Auron scoffed. "Don't you mean execution?"

"Really, now what person would execute a dear friend?"

"You would."

Charlie stared at the two men in silent awe, as the tension in the room grew thick enough to cut with a knife. _"Oh dear…I think I just witnessed the death rattle of their friendship…and it's a lot sadder than I thought it'd be…"_

…

After Charlie and Auron left their cell, the guards took the two of them in different directions. The younger guardian sighed disgustedly at her "escort", and then looked around the room they had brought her to. It was dark, and the floor at the far end dropped off suddenly, into a pool of deep water that held a tunnel in its depths. "Looks like you're next!" one of the guards taunted, shoving her into the water.

Her ribs and skull pounding, Charlene managed to make it to the surface, and shouted, "Hey, what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Get going or stay there and drown, I don't really give a damn!" the guard yelled back. "I'm sure your friends are still down there…if they haven't become fish bait by now!"

With that, the Yevon soldier sauntered off, braying like a drugged donkey and leaving Charlie alone in the gloom. _"I'm supposed to be executed and they throw me in the swimming pool? How lame can these guys be?"_

After what seemed like hours of aimless swimming, the young woman finally ran into Wakka in an air pocket. "Ooh, you made it!" the vertical-haired blitzer cried, clapping her on the shoulder.

"So…what the hell are we supposed to be doing down here again?" she asked, glad to see someone she knew.

"We're probably supposed to just give up and die down here."

Charlene snorted in contempt, and then looked around. "Hey, where's Rikku?"

"Right here!" the Al Bhed said, popping to the surface with a blitzball and the Brotherhood in hand. "Would you believe those guys? Apparently, they use this place as a garbage dump as well as an execution! There's all kinds of stuff littering the floor down there!"

"Well, at least we won't be unarmed anymore!" Charlie said brightly.

"Yeah, but…hey, where's Yunie?"

"I haven't seen her since the trial."

_**::And you'll never see her again, because you're all going to die down here!::**_ the voice hissed, as it renewed its struggles to break her walls of ice.

"Maybe we should wait here, ya?" Wakka suggested, inadvertently snapping the afflicted guardian out of the battle in her mind.

"No, it'd probably better if we head for the exit and wait for her there," Rikku responded before diving underwater again.

…

Off in another part of the temple, Mika, Seymour, and Kinoc stood alone, discussing the effects of the trial. "How fares the Ronso maester?" Mika asked, although it was obvious that he did not care in the least.

"It seems my father's murder troubles him," the Guado replied with a slight smile.

"Ever the Ronso: hardheaded, hardly useful," the ancient maester cackled.

"However," Seymour added, "The summoner Yuna, daughter to High Summoner Braska, and her otherworld guardian…they may be of some use to us alive."

"No," Mika snapped, turning away from him. "They have disturbed the order of Yevon. They cannot be allowed to live."

Expressionless, Seymour bowed to the Grand Maester and said, "I understand."

"Let it go, Seymour," Kinoc snapped, apparently guessing his fellow maester's thoughts. "No one thrown into the Via Purifico has ever survived."

"Yet there is always the small chance that they might," Mika thought aloud, before returning his attention to the other two maesters. "Place guards at the exit. Have them kill any who emerge."

"Leave that to me, sir," the Guado replied, bowing once more.

"First your father and now your bride?" the old man chuckled.

"Allow me to do this because she is my bride."

"Wait, I will go too," Kinoc added, as the Guado made a small bow.

"You do not trust me?" Seymour asked, a dangerous light in his eyes.

"Would you trust a man who murdered his father?"

"Very well, as you wish."

Seymour strolled out into the corridor, Kinoc close on his heels as they summoned several guards, both Guado and human. They continued in silence, stewing in their hatred of one another, when they bumped into Isaaru as he rounded the corner. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Your Graces!" the summoner cried, bowing and gesturing repeatedly.

"You are the summoner Isaaru, are you not?" Kinoc asked, his face lighting up as a brilliant idea struck him.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Lord Isaaru, I have an important task I want you to take care of for me…" the portly maester said, oblivious to the barely contained madness in his "partner's" eyes. "Lady Yuna and her guardians have been charged with treason and banished to the Via Purifico."

"I had heard rumors, milord, but surely they were only that?" Isaaru cried, aghast at the news.

"I am sorry, but it is true. Unfortunately, there is the slight possibility of the traitors escaping, so I want you to guard the exit and take care of anyone who tries to come out." When the summoner did not reply, Kinoc looked the young man in the eyes and asked, "You _are_ a faithful servant of Yevon, are you not?" When the summoner nodded, the maester continued, "Good, then I can trust you with this task. You have your orders, so carry them out."

Isaaru bowed again, and then sprinted toward his new destination. Once he was out of earshot, the plump maester turned to Seymour, gave him a nasty grin, and said, "There, the problem is solved."

The undead Guado gave him a contemptuous smile, and said, "Poor deluded fool, do you honestly think that Lord Isaaru is capable of defeating a summoner of Lady Yuna's potential?" He nodded once, and then the Guado soldiers surrounded the human maester, cutting off any means of escape.

"Seymour, what do you think you're doing?" Kinoc demanded, glancing around nervously.

"And did you believe that I would let you put her, or Lady Charlie to death, when I have a much greater purpose for them?" Seymour continued, ignoring his adversary's protests. His cold eyes blazing, the unsent maester raised his hand, now engulfed in darkness, and hissed, "Kinoc, I have suffered your interference long enough, and now I think it is time to deal with you…once and for all!"

Kinoc tried to run, but Seymour's minions kept him from fleeing. No one else was around to hear his cries for help as the darkness around the Guado's hand congealed, and then took on the demonic form of Harbinger, the spirit of death. The frightened maester tried to scream again, but his breath caught in his throat when Harbinger reached into his chest and plucked out his soul as easily as a ripe fruit. Kinoc fell to his knees, reaching toward the little spirit, but fell short of his goal when it crushed his soul sphere like a rotten egg. The light fading from his eyes, Auron's former friend fell forward in a lifeless heap, Seymour's cruel laughter accompanying him into the all-consuming darkness.

…

Back underwater, Charlene, Wakka, and Rikku continued to swim down the tunnel, hoping to reach the exit before they died of old age, but the light that guided them turned out to lead to a large chamber with a locked gate on the other side. Charlie would have sighed, if not for the fact that doing so underwater is bad for one's health, so instead she decided to watch Rikku as she worked on picking the lock. Suddenly, the entire room shook violently, as hundreds upon hundreds of pyreflies appeared and swarmed together until they formed the dragon, Evrae! _"Oh God, this is like a really bad horror movie! What is this, 'Revenge of the Fifty-Foot Zombie Dragon from Spira'?"_ Charlie thought as she drew her sword.

However, Evrae was different this time, as it was now wingless, emaciated, and a particularly hideous shade of dark green. The dragon-fiend let out a terrible roar and dove at the group, apparently intent on ripping them to very small pieces. The trio managed to get out of the way, but unfortunately the only escape route they had led back the way they came, and that was a dead end. Not wanting Evrae to trap them in an even smaller space, the group remained where they were, attacking the undead fiend from various angles.

In response to their annoying, but rather ineffective assault, Evrae lashed out with its whip-like tail, knocking all three guardians into the opposite wall. Both Charlie and Rikku sank to the floor, dazed and in pain, but Wakka managed to shake off the worst of the attack and dove after the girls, intent on aiding them. Apparently, the dragon recognized the blitzer as the reason for its first death, and rushed after him, shrieking with insane rage. Wakka healed Rikku, and just pulled a second Potion out of his pocket, when he looked up just in time to see Evrae's jaws as they closed around him. The wyrm then gulped its victim down, and turned its attention back toward the girls, but before it could attack again, it went into violent convulsions and dissolved into pyreflies, screeching in agony all the while.

Once it was gone, Rikku swam over to Charlie, who had finally recovered from the attack, and at her questioning look, pointed to where Evrae once floated, and then nearly drowned accidentally when she saw Wakka swimming toward them with a big grin on his face. When he reached them, he held up the now-empty Potion bottle and both girls blinked in surprise as they realized what, exactly, killed the dragon. "_Evrae was a zombie, so it must've died when Wakka dropped his Potion inside it. Weird, but at least it's out of our hair now!"_

…

Finally, Charlene, Rikku, and Wakka escaped from the watery maze into the clear night air outside the temple, and found Yuna, Auron, Lulu, and Kimahri waiting for them. "Yunie!" Rikku cheered as she enthusiastically hugged her cousin. "You're all right? We were so worried! It's good to have you back!"

"Thank you," Yuna replied, gratefully returning the embrace.

"Yuna…I…" Charlie began, but fell silent when she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around, and felt a shiver of fear run down her spine when she saw Seymour, accompanied by his Guado flunkies and Kinoc. Suddenly, the soldiers let go of the human maester's shoulders, and he fell flat on his face, unmistakably dead. "Kinoc!" Auron cried, his voice caught between rage and sorrow.

"Holy freaking hell!" Charlie shouted, not knowing whether to jump for joy or run for the hills.

"I have saved him," Seymour explained, a manic smile lighting his face as he stared down at Kinoc's corpse. "He was a man who craved power…and great power he had, but he feared losing it. Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes, chased by his fears, never knowing rest." The insane maester looked back up at the group. "You see…now he has no worries. He has been granted sleep eternal. Death is a sweet slumber; all the pain of life gently swept away…ah, yes. So, you see…if all life were to end in Spira, all suffering would end. Don't you see? Do you not agree?"

He turned all his attention on Yuna, who stepped back in response to his gaze. "That, Yuna, is why I need you. Come, Lady Yuna…come with me to Zanarkand, lost city of the dead. With death on our side, we will save Spira, and for this, I will take from you your strength, your life, and become the next Sin. I will destroy Spira! I will save it!"

As he spoke, Charlie felt the darkness within her shiver, as if in sheer delight. _**::Master…:: **_it purred as it fought to make the guardian abandon her friends. _**::We must go to our Master…::**_

"_No! He's not my master, you freak!"_ Charlie mentally growled, driving the shadowy being back as she stepped between the summoner and the psycho and then drew her sword. "Leave her alone, you sick bastard!"

Then Kimahri pushed past the both girls, whipped his halberd around, and drove its spike deep into Seymour's heart. The undead maester stared down at the spear, and then muttered, "Unpleasant…" Then he looked up at Kimahri and said, "Very well, I'll grant you your death. You seem to want it so."

With those words, Seymour raised his hand, and suddenly, all his minions, along with Kinoc's corpse disintegrated into pyreflies, which in turn flew into his body. Suddenly, the world turned dark, and when the light finally returned, a terrible sight greeted them. The Guado was now grey and black, with vast stone wings and dark violet armor, hovered in front of his Ronso assailant. Twining around his newly transformed body was a hideous creature that looked like a cross between a demon-skull and a scorpion. "Run!" Kimahri shouted to the others, but refusing to back down from the fight himself. "Protect Yuna!"

"Go!" Auron barked.

"There's no way I'm letting Kimahri fight him alone!" Charlie replied with a shake of her head.

Just then, the swordsman drew his own weapon and used it to block the younger guardian's attempts to enter the fray. "I said go!"

Reluctantly, Charlie joined the others in running down the long pathway leading from the main temple, but then Yuna skidded to a stop, and yelled, "I won't leave Kimahri behind!"

"He is a guardian," Auron replied, clearly exasperated. "Protecting you is everything."

"But we're all guardians," Charlene said, winking at Yuna. "So, I don't know about you, Auron, but I'm following Yuna wherever she goes!"

"Anywhere?" the summoner asked.

"Yes."

"Let's go, then!"

With that, Yuna sprinted back down the road, Charlie hot on her heels until the two of them reached Kimahri, who was still engaged in a fierce battle with Seymour. "Save some for us, big guy!" the swordswoman shouted, lashing at the Guado's minion with her sword.

As the skull-fiend retreated, Seymour stared down at Yuna and, in a hollow voice, said, "It is good to see you again, Lady Yuna, but you don't seem pleased…"

"I'll only be pleased when you're gone to the Farplane!" the summoner defiantly retorted.

His face suddenly twisted with rage, the maester launched a volley of Blizzaga spells, slamming both girls and Kimahri into the pavement. "Get them, Mortibody!" Seymour commanded his minion.

The bizarre fiend slithered through the air toward the Ronso, intent on impaling him with its massive pincers. Before it could reach him, however, Wakka's blitzball knocked it back. "You guys all right?" Wakka asked as he retrieved his weapon.

"Never better," Charlie muttered, getting to her feet.

Just then, Lulu and Rikku showed up and joined the fight with a burst of grenades and spells. "We thought you could use some assistance," the black mage said with a wry smile.

"Thank you," Yuna smiled, before turning her attention back to the fight.

"Fools!" Seymour roared, knocking everyone back with an orange burst of energy, "No matter how many allies you have, it still won't be enough to defeat me!"

Suddenly, Auron stepped forward, anger burning in his eye, and he shouted, "Although he was not the man I once knew, Kinoc was still my friend, Seymour! You will pay for his death!" The air around the swordsman shimmered faintly as he charged toward the Guado, and delivered a heavy horizontal slash capable of shearing a normal person in half. Unfortunately, Mortibody leapt into action, saving its master at the last moment. "Damn!" Auron swore, backing away as the minion regenerated its body.

"Well…that worked wonderfully," Charlie growled, leaping out of the way as the demon darted forward yet again. "Yuna, call your new aeon, quick!"

"Right!"

Yuna twirled her staff through the air, but then Seymour fired a burst of green-black energy and shouted, "I don't think so! Miec yw Perumnurk!"

The pulse struck the summoner and, while it failed to harm her, it prevented her aeon from appearing as well. "He just spoke in the Tietdyrkoi: the language of the Farplane!" Lulu cried, her crimson eyes wide with disbelief. "That is one of the most forbidden things anyone can learn!"

"_Why does that fail to surprise me?"_ Charlie thought as she darted close and stuck Seymour with an overhand strike. The blow was successful, and left a long wound that dripped dark blue blood, but unfortunately it left her wide open to an assault by Mortibody, which latched onto her unprotected back and dragged her into the air. "Let go of me!" the young woman shrieked as she flailed helplessly in the creature's grasp.

"As you wish," Seymour grinned, gesturing to his minion.

Instead of releasing Charlie, however, Mortibody slammed her into the ground, breaking her barely-healed ribs and causing her to cough up blood. The guardian lay on her side, struggling to breathe and stay conscious as Kimahri impaled the Guado's minion with his spear, pinning it down long enough for Rikku to shove a grenade into its mouth. The bomb exploded, spraying dust and pyreflies everywhere, giving Wakka a chance to slam his blitzball into Seymour's wound, distracting him with pain and disrupting his spell. Auron then lunged at him, intent on giving the maester another taste of the death he suffered in Macalania Temple, but he stopped in surprise when the Guado vanished in a burst of blue flame. "He disappeared!" Rikku shouted in surprise.

"No, he's still here…somewhere," Auron replied, warily watching their surroundings.

Just then, Seymour reappeared high overhead, but no one saw him, except Charlie, who tried give out a warning only to have a frog-like croak come out. _"Oh no!"_

Apparently, her strange cry made sense to Kimahri, however, because he looked up and saw the maester as he sent a bright orange wave of flame down on the group. "Look out!" the Ronso shouted, flinging himself over Yuna.

The others dove out of the way just as the Flare spell struck, and hit the ground when the shockwave hit them. When the dust cleared, a dome of pinkish light remained, with Yuna, Kimahri, and Charlie beneath it, disheveled, but relatively unharmed. "Damn you!" Seymour shouted, swooping on the trio as he readied another spell.

This time, Kimahri was ready for him, and spat out a ball of flame that struck the undead maester full in the face! The spell fizzled out, but Seymour kept falling like a lump of lead and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Fortunately, Kimahri had grabbed Charlie and Yuna before leaping out of the way, so the falling Guado squashed no one. "Is he dead?" Charlene asked after Yuna cast several Cura spells on her.

The guardian edged close to the fallen maester and nudged him experimentally with her foot. Before she could back away again, however, Seymour let out an inhuman bellow of rage and grabbed her ankle, glaring up at her with a look of insane hatred. As soon as he grabbed her, Charlie felt a strange shock course through her body, sending the darkness within her soul into a state of berserk fury. _**::Bastards! I'll kill you for hurting my master!::**_ it screamed as it hammered her heart's walls. _**::I'll drag all your souls into the darkest depths of the Farplane and tear them to shreds! I'll rip out your hearts and eat them as you watch!::**_

From there, the demon's shrieks descended into an unintelligible roar as it fought to make Charlie turn and attack her friends. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she howled, slashing her sword about like a wild thing, until she somehow managed to land a blow that severed Seymour's hand from his wrist, breaking their connection and forcing the darkness back into quiescence.

His right hand gone, the undead Guado reached out toward Charlene with the left one, snarling like a wild beast. "Ayo zucc ypia li, pudsn!" he shouted, his hand grasping empty air as she jumped back out of reach.

"SICK BASTARD!" she yelled, bringing the Brotherhood down on his head with a sickening crunch. "Stay dead! Stay dead! Goddamn it, STAY DEAD!"

Charlie kept shouting that phrase, as if it were a spell of warding. Finally, he stopped twitching and turned into a cloud of pyreflies and bluish-black smoke, leaving nothing but a large pool of blood behind. Finally, she stopped, gasping for air, and then realized that everyone was staring at her in silence. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. _"I'm sorry I can't tell you why I flew off the handle like that…but you'd never believe me if I did…"_

The silence persisted for a long moment, before Auron shook his head, put away his katana, and said, "Let's go."

…

A few hours later, the seven of them escaped from the city into the crystalline gloom of the Macalania Woods, and set up camp in the most defensible spot they could find. As soon as they finished, Auron left, presumably on a scouting foray, and then Yuna, vanished too, accompanied by Kimahri. _"God, I hope she's okay…"_ Charlie thought to herself as she stared into the fire. _"Yevon betrayed her, so what does she have to fight for now? She must feel so lost!"_

Just then, Auron returned to the campsite, and at Wakka's curious look, said, "We're all clear. We will have to avoid Bevelle in the future." Then, looking around, he asked, "Where's Yuna?"

"She said she wanted to be alone," Rikku replied, not looking up from the fire.

"Of course," the swordsman replied.

Realizing that no one planned to stop her, Charlene got to her feet and glared at everyone. "Don't any of you plan on going to talk to her?" she demanded.

"She wants to be alone, ya?" Wakka replied, not looking up. "So let's just leave her alone."

"Let's just leave her alone!" Charlie mimicked, giving the blitzer a look of sheer disgust. "Her faith has betrayed her, and you want to just leave her alone with that? What a great plan! You guys just stay here with your great plan, if you want, but I'm going to see her!"

With that, she stalked off in search of her friend. It was not long before she found her, sitting at the shore of a pristine lake with Kimahri keeping a watchful eye on her from a distance. Yuna heard her footsteps, and started speaking without turning around. "I always thought this would be easier somehow. I thought that everyone would help me, with all my new friends together beside me. I've been trying so hard…"

"Maybe you shouldn't try so hard then," Charlie replied quietly. Then she hung her head, and added, "They told me about it, you know…they told me about the Final Aeon, and what would happen if you called it."

"They did?"

"Yeah…and I'm so sorry, Yuna!" The summoner turned around, but did not say anything, so Charlie continued to speak. "I'm sorry about all those things I said to you about going to Zanarkand and beating Sin. I didn't realize what I was saying, and…I'm sorry if I made you feel sad."

"I wasn't sad," Yuna replied, smiling. "I was happy."

Surprised, Charlie stared down at her friend for a moment, before taking at seat next to her on the shore and looking up at the stars. "Why don't you just stop?"

"The pilgrimage?"

"Yeah! Forget about fighting Sin or summoning…just be yourself. What do you think?"

"Maybe I will…" Yuna mused. "Wouldn't everyone be surprised?"

"Rikku wouldn't. Hell, she'd probably do backflips of joy…and I'm sure Wakka and Lulu would go along with it."

"Kimahri would say yes, too, I know…but Sir Auron…"

"Can get over it!" Charlie added. "He can't make you do anything you don't want to do, so if you decide to quit, he can't twist your arm and make you go!"

"But…what'll I do if I give up my pilgrimage?" Yuna wondered.

"Hmm…that's a really good question. Hey, we could go back to the Moonflow and spend the night! Then we could watch the pyreflies like we talked about back then."

"I really would like to see it someday…" Yuna replied, her voice suddenly subdued.

"We'll both see it! I'll stay here and…" Charlie looked back, and then realized that Yuna was crying. "Yuna, what's wrong?"

"I can't…I just can't!" she sobbed. "I can't go!"

It would have taken a person with a harder heart than Charlie's to ignore the summoner's distress, and she quickly knelt down and wrapped her arms around Yuna, letting her cry on her shoulder. "Oh God, Yuna, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Please don't cry!" she said, her own voice quavering as she fought her own tears.

It took quite some time, but Yuna finally stopped crying and let go of Charlie. "I'll continue the pilgrimage. I must. If I give up now, I could do anything I wanted to, but even if I did stop, I could never forget."

Charlene stared intently at the summoner for a long moment, and then said, "I'll go with you, then…unless you'd rather I didn't."

"Stay with me till the end, please."

Charlie stood up again, then reached down and helped Yuna to her feet. "Always. I won't leave you, I promise." _"I won't abandon anyone ever again…"_

"All right then. Now let's go back to camp and tell the others."

…

The two girls returned to camp a few minutes later, and found the rest of the group waiting for them expectantly. "Sir Auron? Wakka? Lulu? Kimahri? Rikku?" she said, looking at everyone as she called their names. "Everyone, we leave at dawn…and I'm sorry for putting you through all this…and…"

She would have gone on for a while longer, but Auron held up a hand and said, "Enough. You need your rest."

"Yes. Goodnight everyone."

With that, they doused the fire and went to sleep, waiting for the dawn and the new challenges that awaited them.


	27. Calm and Chaos

Chapter 27: Calm and Chaos

The next morning, Charlene awoke with a sense of dread lying like a cold weight in the pit of her stomach. Throughout the night, the presence within her had sulked about her refusal to give in to its wishes and plagued her with dreams ranging anywhere from mildly disturbing to frightening enough to make her wake up sweating with terror, and she paid for it this morning with exhaustion. Despite her tiredness, however, Charlie got up with the others without complaint and helped break camp before they departed on the next leg of their journey. _"I have to figure out a way to block this thing out," _she thought to herself, her gaze darting through the sapphire gloom as they walked through the crystal forest. _"If I don't, it's just going to keep attacking me until it finally gets what it wants."_

Finally, the strange trees of Macalania gave way to a narrow path through a canyon, and that, in turn led to an enormous prairie that stretched on for countless miles, only broken by the mountains to the north and east, and a massive gorge to the west. "Oh wow…" Charlie gasped as she stared at the seemingly endless expanse of gently rolling grassland. "What is this place?"

"The Calm Lands," Lulu smoothly replied. "Long ago, the high summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here…beyond, there's no towns, no villages, only endless plains."

"Many summoners stray from their path and lose their way here," Auron added.

Yuna stared up at the clear blue sky in silence, and then tipped backward into the grass. "I've always known where to go," she softly replied as she continued staring skyward.

Charlie walked over to the summoner and helped her to her feet. "I won't let you die, Yuna," the guardian said, "I'll save you from this, I swear!"

Yuna smiled back at her, and said, "Thank you. Let's go."

…

Despite the gentleness of the name, the Calm Lands were anything but, as fiends of all shapes and sizes roamed at will. What normally would be a relatively short trip became twice as long, due to all the monster attacks on the group as they made their way across the prairie. For the first few days, the fiends consisted mostly of small fry, like bugs and wolves, but things took a turn for the worse when Rikku accidentally stumbled across a pair of giant black snakes similar to the ones found back in Djose. Hissing with anger, the two fiends slithered out of their resting place in the tall grass, waving their forelegs menacingly. "I don't think they're going to let us pass!" Rikku announced unnecessarily.

The two snakes caught up with the party then, and the fight began in earnest. Wakka and Lulu proved to be formidable assets to the group, as their long-range attacks managed to keep the fiends distracted long enough for Charlie and Rikku to dart in and deal damage before escaping again, while Auron and Kimahri attacked relentlessly. Before long, both monsters were bleeding profusely, but they clearly did not intend to back down from the fight. The larger of the two snakes suddenly crouched low to the ground, raised its tail high into the air, and shook it violently. Then the air wobbled, as a high-pitched keening sound rang out, forcing everyone to cover their ears in an attempt to block out the terrible noise. "Someone make it shut up!" Wakka cried, dropping to his knees along with everyone else.

Just then, Yuna stopped covering her ears and pointed her staff skyward, the magical fireworks of summoning surrounding her as she did so. The sky turned dark, and a massive black dragon dropped out of the clouds, flaring its sunset colored wings as it dropped to the ground beside Yuna. "Bahamut…" Charlie breathed, staring at the aeon in wonder.

Surprised by Bahamut's sudden appearance, the snake fiend stopped its relentless screeching, while its smaller counterpart darted past it, intent on mauling the dragon. It lashed out at the aeon with its clawed arms, but then let out a strangled hiss of disbelief when Bahamut halted the oncoming attack by grabbing the snake by the throat. The fiend flailed wildly, desperate to break free, but its attempts proved futile as the great dragon choke-slammed it into the ground. Then Bahamut stomped on the serpent with his massive, clawed foot, breaking its spine and killing it instantly.

As the smaller fiend faded into a cloud of pyreflies, the larger one let out a shriek of rage, before flinging itself at the aeon in a state of berserk fury. Before it could reach its target, however, Bahamut retaliated by firing off several bursts of dark energy, which completely disintegrated the giant snake. When the dust settled, all that remained was a scorched spot over which the dragon stood, roaring in celebration of his victory. When Yuna moved to release the aeon, Charlie said, "Wait!"

The summoner and, surprisingly enough, the dragon both gave her a peculiar look, but then Bahamut dropped to all fours, bringing himself nose to nose with Charlie. His softly glowing white eyes caught hers, and the voice of the fayth ghosted through her mind. _::Go on. I don't bite.::_

Blinking slowly, Charlene reached out with her trembling left hand, and touched the aeon's face. Surprisingly, the armored scales were warm to the touch and smooth, like a piece of obsidian on a bright spring day. Finally, she pulled her hand away, and Bahamut vanished. "Thank you," she whispered softly, before noticing that everyone else was staring at her.

"What was that all about?" Rikku wanted to know.

"Uh…well…Bahamut and I just have an understanding, that's all," Charlie lamely replied.

"You have an understanding with an aeon?" Lulu said as she raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Uh…yeah?"

"How?" Wakka demanded.

Charlie looked at the blitzer, and then shot a desperate look at Auron. Thankfully, the swordsman understood her distress and said, "Discuss it later. We're leaving now."

…

"Wow, look at all the chocobos!" Yuna exclaimed a couple of days later, as a huge flock ran by.

"Yeah! I wonder if we could ride them." Rikku thought aloud. "It'd definitely make our trip faster."

Just then, a woman on another chocobo rode up, and said, "Hey, did I just hear you say you wanted to ride a chocobo?"

"Actually, yes, we would," Yuna replied. "My guardians and I are on a pilgrimage, and we'd greatly appreciate it if you'd lend us a few until we get to the other side of the Calm Lands."

The chocobo owner gave the summoner a long, measuring look, and then said, "Nope, I can't help you."

"Why the hell not?" Charlie angrily demanded. "It's not like you've got hundreds of customers begging for the damn things!"

"Arietta doesn't let just anyone who comes along ride one, you know!" the woman replied, clearly referring to herself in the third person. "You have to pass a test, first."

"What test would that be?" Auron wanted to know, clearly annoyed by the delay.

Arietta the Chocobo Lady looked everyone in the eye in turn, and then said, "One of you has to race me. If you win, I'll let you use my chocobos, free of charge, but if you lose, you'll just have to keep walking."

The summoner and all her guardians looked around at one another in silence, until Rikku finally asked, "Okay, who's racing then?"

"Count me out!" Wakka swiftly replied. "I have a hard enough time staying on one at normal speed, ya?"

"I guess I could do it," Charlene said, albeit reluctantly.

Before anyone could say anything, a dark yellow, almost gold colored chocobo strutted over to the young woman and butted its head against her, clearly ready for a race. "Well, it looks like Chico's ready to go!" Arietta laughed.

Charlie sighed gustily, climbed onto Chico's back, and then asked, "Where are we supposed to race to?"

The chocobo wrangler pointed to the twisted remnants of a tree off in the distance. "We ride to that tree and back here, and whoever gets here first is the winner. Are we clear?"

"Definitely."

Suddenly, Arietta's chocobo warked loudly, and then took off as fast as its legs would go. "If you're going to race, then I suggest you get started!" Arietta taunted as her bird continued to run.

"You cheating rat!" Charlene furiously replied. "You aren't going to beat me that easily!"

The young woman dug her heels into the chocobo's ribs, and Chico let out an indignant cry before bolting after its rival. Charlie and her chocobo trailed behind for most of the race, because she did not want to force it to speed up beyond its endurance. Toward the end, however, Chico, deciding it did not want to lose in such an embarrassing manner, put on an amazing burst of speed. Surprised, all Charlene could do was hang on for dear life as her mount shot forward and passed Arietta just in time. "What the hell was that all about?" the guardian demanded, jumping off the chocobo's back as soon as it came to a stop. "You make us go through your damn test only to prove that you're a cheating…wait, why are you laughing?"

"I'm just really happy, that's all!" Arietta answered, dismounting her own bird. "It's about time someone actually passed the test, you know."

"Well, of course we passed, despite your attempts to cheat," Lulu coolly replied.

"No, no! You pass because you didn't abuse Chico by pushing him too hard. If you had done so, he would've bucked you off and we'd just leave all of you out here to walk the rest of the way. Since you didn't do so, you can borrow chocobos from me any time you'd like."

Everyone stared at Arietta, not quite sure that she was completely sane, while she turned around and picked out mounts for everyone. Once she rounded them up, she said, "You can ride them anywhere in the Calm Lands, and they won't run off as soon as you climb off them. If you try to leave the area, though, they'll stop and refuse to go any further. You understand?"

"Yes," Auron testily replied, quite ready to leave.

"All right, then you're good to go…except for one thing."

"What now?" Charlene wanted to know. "You don't have another stupid test, do you?"

"No," the chocobo lady replied while rummaging through her pockets. Finally, she pulled out a small shining object and handed it to Charlie. "Take it."

The guardian took the item and stared at it. It was a gold coin, larger than a gil, with a circle engraved on it, and a dot inscribed in the middle of the circle. "What is it?"

"I have no idea, but you're the first person to pass my test, so I figured I'd give it to you. Anyway, I've kept you people waiting long enough, so I'm gonna go now."

With that, Arietta left the group with their chocobos, and Yuna turned to Charlie and asked, "What did she give you?"

"I'm not really sure, but it looks like it has something to do with these." She pulled out the bronze disc with "Tzedek" engraved on it, and then put the gold coin in the depression in the center. The coin fit, but obviously did not match. "I've been finding things like these ever since I got here, so maybe they have some purpose."

At that moment, Kimahri obviously grew tired of waiting on everyone, so he mounted his chocobo and rode off in silence. "I think we should get going now," Yuna sheepishly said.

…

The trip across the Calm Lands proved much easier with the assistance of the chocobos, as they were faster than any fiend living there was. In fact, they had almost reached the Al Bhed-owned rest area in the center of the plains when they ran into a familiar face. "Oh, you again," Belgemine flatly stated when she noticed Yuna. "You're quite the notorious traitor these days."

"Oh? What do you plan to do about it, then?" Charlie demanded, glowering ominously at the older summoner.

Belgemine chuckled at that, and then said, "Ah, you shouldn't take what the maesters say too seriously." Then her tone turned grave again. "For summoners, defeating Sin is everything. We are no tools of Yevon, understand?"

"Yes," Yuna shyly replied.

"So are you up to the task?" the older woman asked.

"I do not know, but I will do my best."

"You've got spirit, but you'll need more to beat Sin." Belgemine paused for a moment, staring intently into the young summoner's eyes, and then said, "I tell you what: come to the hidden temple of Remiem, and I shall give you the training you need."

"I will," Yuna promised.

"Very well. Until then, I bid you farewell."

The summoner then walked away, leaving everyone to watch her practically vanish in the tall grass of the plains. "That sounds like a good idea," Rikku said, staring thoughtfully at the sky as it turned purple and red with the setting of the sun. "But it might need to wait until tomorrow."

No one argued with the Al Bhed, instead following her lead as she headed toward the rest area. Once there, everyone restocked on supplies and relaxed as a bald man in monk's robes approached them. "Father Zuke!" Lulu cried, her face lighting up with recognition.

"Long time, no see," Zuke replied, his tone showing he was clearly happy to see her, too. Then he turned to Yuna and asked, "You are Yuna? Well, you certainly don't look like Maester Kinoc's murderer."

"What'd you say?" Wakka yelped, appalled by the accusation.

"Please, tell us what has happened!" Yuna implored.

"Maester Mika just issued a personal order, you know," the monk replied. "It said that you and your guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled. We are to kill you on sight…or so it says."

"What of Bevelle?" Auron asked, not caring about the order.

"Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent. After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon."

"Convenient. Getting around will be easier with Yevon in disarray."

"Be careful, my friends," Zuke warned. "You have been branded enemies of Yevon, so you should avoid the temples for the time being."

"Thank you, Father Zuke, for your warning," Yuna said.

"Father, you came all this way just to tell us this?" Lulu wanted to know.

The monk chuckled, and then shook his head. "To tell the truth, I was a little curious to see this summoner you are guarding. I hope her pilgrimage goes well, for your sake, too."

"Thank you, Father," the mage replied, flushing slightly.

"I must depart, but I shall pray for all of you," Zuke said, while performing the prayer gesture.

Charlie watched the monk leave, scratching her head in confusion, and then asked, "Okay…so who was that?"

"Until half a year ago, he was a summoner," Lulu explained. "Wakka and I were his guardians."

"It was kind of a short pilgrimage," Wakka added.

"He gave up halfway…here on this plain. Now he is a monk at the Bevelle temple." Lulu let out a small sigh. "This is my third pilgrimage as a guardian. Father Zuke was my second, and my first…well, it ended here, too. I've never been to the lands beyond. Mt. Gagazet towers to the north, and Zanarkand lies beyond that."

"_So Auron's the only one who traveled the whole way, huh?"_ Charlie thought. _"No wonder everyone respects him so much!"_ Suddenly, she noticed Yuna staring at the ground, as though trying to peer through it, and asked, "Hey, is something on your mind?"

The summoner looked up, blinked confusedly for a moment, and then said, "So, we are officially traitors, then."

"Who cares? Let those idiots in Bevelle say what they want! That doesn't make it true!"

"It's okay, I'm not worried." Then Yuna chuckled nervously, and then added, "Well, maybe just a little. It's hard not to be."

"That's okay. If it gets too bad, you can always just scream your lungs out," Charlie cheerfully replied.

"I might just do that." Suddenly, the summoner's expression turned thoughtful. "I wonder if my father got lost here, too."

"I'd be more surprised if he didn't get lost, since I'm sure both Auron AND Jecht would've rather died than stop to ask for directions!"

"Maybe I'll ask Sir Auron about it…"

"Good luck with that," Charlie said, grinning mischievously. "You know how he is when anyone asks him about himself."

"That is none of your business!" Yuna replied, doing a comedic impersonation of the stolid guardian.

Both girls laughed loudly, drawing stares from the rest of the group, and then Auron walked over and said, "Enough. We leave early tomorrow, so get some rest."

…_Flash…_

Charlene stood in the midst of a desiccated wasteland before the battered shell of a house, one very familiar to her, though she could not say why. Suddenly, like a puppet on strings, her body started toward the house of its own volition, kicking the door off the hinges and walking inside. Everything in the house was in ruins, looking as if a tornado had called the place home. _"What the hell is this place?"_ she wondered. _"Why does it look so familiar?"_

"Charlie…is that you?" a slightly raspy female voice asked, startling the young woman. Slowly turning around, she saw a haggard looking woman with grey-streaked dark hair half-crouched behind an overturned couch in the corner. "Charlie, oh God, it IS you!" she joyfully cried, quickly abandoning her hiding place to embrace her long-lost daughter.

"_Mom? Mom, I'm home! I'm…"_ The young woman stopped, realizing that her cries only echoed in her mind. _"What the hell…why can't I talk? Why can't I move?"_

Her body once again took its own initiative and stalked toward her mother with ominous intent. "Charlie, what are you doing?" her mom cried, scooting back until she hit the wall.

"_I don't know! Oh God, what's happening to me?"_ Charlene shrieked as she advanced on her mother, an evil-looking sword in her hand.

When the older woman could go no further, the force controlling Charlie made her raise the blade high in the air, and then brought it down again with all the strength it could muster. Bright blood splattered everywhere, streaking the ashen grey walls with broad streaks of crimson. Her mother's now-lifeless corpse dropped to the floor, accusation and terror mingled in her glassy eyes, and Charlie's soul cringed as she heard the most horrible laughter rip from her throat in a paean of carnage. _"Oh Mom…no…"_ she whispered, even though she knew the words would not come aloud.

Just then, she noticed the shattered and blood-soaked remnants of a large mirror on the wall next to them, and what she saw there nearly drove her mad. In the shards that still clung to the frame, she saw herself clad in pulsating dark armor frighteningly similar to Sin's, but that did not scare her as much as the look on her face. Whatever controlled her wore an expression of insane joy, and because of that controlling force, her eyes now glowed the eerie grey-violet of a midnight thunderstorm. What scared her most; however, was the tracery of flickering violet veins that streaked from her hairline to her cheeks in an uncanny imitation of the ones on Seymour's face. _**::Look at you!::**_ the terrible presence in her laughed. _**::This is the future that awaits you…but I'm sure you aren't worried, since you're used to destroying everything around you!::**_

"_No!"_ Charlie shrieked as cold despair enveloped her. _"Oh God…someone please tell me this isn't real! It can't be real! No, no, NO!"_

…_Flash…_

Charlie sat up with a jolt, screaming with horror at the scene she just witnessed. The terrible voice in the back of her head laughed loudly at her terror and she screamed again. "Oh Mom, no!" she wailed, tears blinding her as they streamed down her face.

A pair of hands grasped her shoulders and shook her, snapping her out of nightmare, but from the intense fear that gripped her soul. "Charlie, snap out of it!" a gruff male voice ordered, his tone brooking no argument as she flailed in his grasp.

Charlene froze in place, recognizing the voice as Auron's, and stopped struggling. Once she calmed down, the swordsman released her and backed away. Looking around, she saw everyone staring at her with frightened looks on their faces. "Charlie, what happened?" Yuna asked, genuinely worried for her friend.

Shivering violently, the female guardian choked back a sob and said, "It was just a bad dream, that's all."

"Bad dream? It sounded more like a nightmare to me!" Rikku replied, obviously not convinced.

"You've been having a lot of those lately, ya?" Wakka said. "You always mumble and sound like you're fighting someone."

"_Shit! I didn't know I was being loud."_ Charlie thought, flushing deeply. "It's no big deal, I swear. I've always had nightmares."

"But they seem to be getting worse…did something happen to you in Bevelle?" Lulu asked.

Charlene paused, her mouth hanging open slightly as the black mage's question hit close to the mark. _**::Go ahead and tell them!::**_ the dark voice crowed. _**::I'm sure they will be oh so willing to believe you!::**_

"Nothing happened," Charlie finally replied. "I'm fine, so please get some sleep and stop fussing over me!"

Everyone gave her doubtful looks, but finally backed off and left her in peace. For a couple of hours, she lay curled up on her bedroll, trying in vain to get back to sleep, but rest eluded her. Finally, the young woman gave up on sleep and got up to check on the others. Lulu, Yuna, and Rikku all slept peacefully, while Wakka kicked some imaginary blitzball into oblivion. Auron and Kimahri did not sleep, but alertly watched the darkness for any signs of danger, and seemingly did not notice that Charlie was awake…or so she thought. "Messy," Auron said aloud, startling the younger guardian.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused by his sudden burst of speech.

"Yevon. Mika and Seymour are not of one mind. Remember what Seymour said last we met?"

"Yeah…all that crap about 'saving Spira', right?"

Auron nodded. "I do not think Mika will concur, and if Yevon founders, so will Spira."

Charlene made a face. "Maybe so, but Spira really needs to take off the water wings and learn how to swim."

The swordsman laughed at her comment, but said nothing, so she returned to her bedroll and finally sank into an uneasy slumber.


	28. Warning

Chapter 28: Warning

Early the next morning, the group packed up their things, mounted their chocobos, and set out toward the east, intent on quickly reaching their destination. Charlie rode toward the back of the group, keeping a wary eye out for fiends and trying to avoid thinking about the new, rather embarrassing dream her unwanted "passenger" dropped on her earlier. _"Nightmares or Perv-Land…"_ she grumbled internally as she scanned the landscape. _"Why can't I ever get something in my head that doesn't involve me waking up in a sweat?"_

Just then, Rikku fell back beside her, shaking slightly with nerves, and asked, "She's not stopping, is she, Charlie?"

"Who, Yuna?" The Al Bhed nodded, and the older girl continued to speak. "Yuna's made her choice. All we can do is go along with it for the moment."

"But I can't just let her go!" the thief wailed.

"I'm not saying you have to. We'll save her from the Final Aeon, I promise."

"But how?"

"I'll come up with something," Charlie replied, doing her best to sound confident.

"But what if you can't?" Rikku persisted.

Charlene let out an exasperated sigh and all but shouted, "Rikku, would you please stop with the 'ifs' and 'buts'! You're only getting yourself worked up, and that's getting me worked up, and I don't feel up to dealing with a headache this morning!" The thief fell silent, so Charlie took the opportunity to add, "Let's think about it together, okay? If we can't come up with something soon, we'll just find another way."

"Okay!" Rikku nodded, looking more cheerful.

Just then, a bestial scream, followed by a very human yelp, ripped through the air, and from the sound, it was not far from their position. "What in Yevon's name was that?" Wakka wondered, startled by the sound.

Then the shriek came yet again, along with another cry for help, and the party quickly spurred their chocobos toward the source of the cries. Within a couple of moments, they found a gap in the cliff that led to an arena, where an old man was lying on the ground, barely fending off what looked like a huge black and red chimera. Before the monster could strike a finishing blow, however, Lulu struck it with a Blizzaga spell and drove it back long enough for the old man to escape. While the beast was distracted, Auron and Kimahri quickly dismounted their chocobos and advanced on it, intending on destroying it before it could recover. Before they could actually attack, however, the old man shouted, "Don't kill it! I need it alive!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Charlie yelled, as she and the others joined the battle. "Why in bloody blue hell do you need that creepy thing alive?"

"It's my newest creation, and I don't want all my hard work to go to waste!" the stranger calmly replied.

"So what are we supposed to do, then?" Rikku wanted to know.

"Just see if you can't back it into that pen over there," he said, pointing at a large cage several yards behind the chimera.

The task proved difficult, but not impossible, since it definitely did not like having Lulu's various spells explode in its face. Finally, they managed to hold the thing off long enough for Kimahri to slam the door of the cage shut and lock it, trapping it inside. "Thanks," the old man said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I thought I was a goner."

"If we hadn't heard your scream, you would be," Auron growled, clearly annoyed by the delay the battle caused.

"What is this place, anyway?" Rikku asked, quickly cutting off any possible arguments.

"It's an old arena built back in Mi'ihen's time. The Crusaders used to use it to train, but after that fiasco down in Mushroom Rock…there probably won't be anyone training for a long time." Then the old man's face brightened, and he said, "Wait! You kids can train here, if you want!"

"No, thank you," Yuna replied, slightly unnerved by the man's enthusiasm. "But we would be very grateful if you could show us the way to Remiem Temple."

"Huh? Oh, you mean that old temple beyond the cliffs! Yeah, there's a path behind the arena…but you'll have to use your chocobos to get to it."

The group thanked him and started to depart, but then stopped when he flagged them down, a grubby package in his hands. "What is it now?" Charlie demanded, impatient to resume their journey.

The man caught up to their chocobos, then shoved the dirty package into Yuna's hands. "This has been passed down through my family for generations," he breathlessly explained. "But I think that it's time for it to go to a new owner."

The summoner carefully untied the string holding the cloth together, and stared down at the dusty crystal of the ancient staff she now held. "Um…thank you?" she said, not quite sure what to think of the "gift".

"What is it?" Wakka wondered aloud, peering at the staff.

The arena owner shrugged, and then replied, "Nirvana. My grandsire told me that it's supposed to be one of the Celestial Weapons of legend, but it lost its power ages ago."

"And what, exactly, are we supposed to do with it?" Auron testily demanded.

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth, but I figure that if anyone can reawaken that relic's power, it would be your little group."

…

Remiem Temple was a strange, almost hive-like building hanging over a seemingly bottomless pit, and the only way the group could reach it was by dismounting their chocobos and crossing the narrow bridge in a single file line. Once they made it across, the three sigils on the massive stone door glowed red, blue, and yellow, and then the door opened, allowing everyone access inside. The interior of the temple consisted of a single large room with a softly glowing door on the other side. The sight of that door struck a sudden sense of unease in Charlie, as the darkness within her stirred angrily. _"This place…something about it scares me,"_ she thought to herself, while trying not to tremble.

Just then, a strange female voice rang out in her mind, accompanied by an iridescent red light. _::That thing inside you does not belong here,::_ she said.

"_No…it's not me that's frightened, but the monster! It's afraid of the fayth!"_

_**::I fear NOTHING!::**_ the creature screamed, clawing at her mind in rage.

Another voice, this time accompanied by a shiny blue light, lashed out at the darkness and yelled, _::Demon! You will not profane this sacred place with your evil!::_

_**::Oh really? What do you plan on doing about it?::**_ the monster sneered. _**::The only way you weaklings can get rid of me now is by killing my host, and I KNOW you will not do that!::**_

_::Maybe not…:: _added a third, shimmering yellow voice. _::But you are not invincible, as you claim to be…::_

"Welcome, Yuna," Belgemine said, suddenly stepping out of the shadows and startling Charlie out of the unusual conversation in her mind.

"What happened to this place?" Yuna asked.

This temple used to be a great religious center, but the main path was lost during Lord Ohalland's battle with Sin, and it fell into obscurity," the older summoner explained.

"So why do you stay all the way out here?" Charlene wanted to know.

"It's a long story, so it would probably be easier to show you."

Just then, Belgemine's form turned transparent, and several pyreflies drifted out of her body, floating lazily before returning to her. "You're an unsent, too?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Yes, but don't send me just yet," the undead summoner replied, turning to look at Yuna. "With the help I can give, a young summoner might be able to defeat Sin."

"I will do my best," Yuna replied.

Before either of them could make a move, Charlene backed toward the door, causing everyone to stop and stare at her. "You okay?" Wakka asked, clearly concerned about her odd behavior.

"Yeah…" she replied, struggling to hear everyone over the shadow's noisy (and painful) temper tantrum in her head. "I'm just going outside to get some fresh air, that's all.

"Wait a moment and I'll go with you," Rikku said, scampering to catch up with her.

Once outside, the two girls sat down on the steps and stared out at the gorge in silence. "So…" Rikku began, after a while, "What made you want to come out here all of a sudden?"

"Mostly, it was the fact that Yuna and Belgemine wanted to have an aeon battle in a confined space with no real room to dodge any stray attacks," Charlie explained.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. It doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

Suddenly, one of the chocobos, having noticed the two guardians sitting outside, made its way over to them, chirping loudly all the while. Once it drew close enough to identify, Rikku jumped to her feet and ran to greet it. "What is it, Ryusei?" the Al Bhed asked, petting the bird.

Ryusei warked at the little thief, and nudged her toward one of the side paths of the temple. "You want us to follow you?" Rikku wondered.

"_Well aren't you a regular Lassie?"_ Charlie mentally snorted. She then followed her friend and the rather insistent chocobo, and caught up to them at a small gate that blocked off a narrow path leading under the temple. "So this is what your bird wanted?"

"I think Ryusei wants to run down there or something…" Just then, Rikku noticed a message engraved below a small hourglass near the gate and read it aloud. "This is the place where chocobos come to prove their worthiness to lead the flock. If you have found this, then you must have a chocobo that wishes to take this challenge. If you and your chocobo can reach the bottom before the sand runs out, then you will have proved your worthiness, and be duly rewarded."

"So, Rikku, are you going to do it?" Charlie asked, warily eyeing the track.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because I'm terrified of heights and it's YOUR chocobo that wants to do it!"

The Al Bhed stared at the gate for a long moment, and then looked back at Ryusei. Apparently sensing its rider's doubt, it quickly gave Rikku the Spiran equivalent of puppy-dog eyes before letting out a rather adorable chirp. "Aww…don't do that! I'll race with you."

Having made up her mind, the Al Bhed quickly mounted the bird and motioned for Charlie to flip the hourglass. The swordswoman did so, and when the gate opened, Ryusei took off like a shot, quickly vanishing below the temple. The seconds ticked by like hours as the guardian awaited her friend's return. After what seemed like an eternity, the last grains of sand slipped to the bottom, signaling the end of the time limit, and Charlie muttered, "I hope they didn't fall to their deaths down there."

Finally, she heard Rikku let out a triumphant yell, and stepped back as the thief and her chocobo returned to the starting point. "I thought you both fell off or something!" Charlene exclaimed, overjoyed to see her friend alive and well.

"We almost did," the Al Bhed replied, "But Ryusei's a lot better than he lets on."

"Yep. So what was the 'big prize' that sign was going on about?"

Before Rikku could show her, however, the temple door opened, and the rest of the party emerged, looking completely unscathed. "So how did it go?" both girls asked in unison.

"Yuna did well," Kimahri rumbled, neatly summing it up.

"Yes…" the summoner added, flushing slightly, "But she said that I can't complete my training until I receive all the aeons."

"Oh dear…that's going to take a while, isn't it?" Charlie asked.

"Probably, but it'll really help out a lot, ya?" Wakka cheerfully replied.

"What were the two of you up to out here?" Lulu suddenly demanded.

"I raced a chocobo and won these!" Rikku answered, finally waving her prizes where everyone could see them. In one hand, she held a grubby, ancient looking piece of parchment, and in the other, she held a star-shaped, cloudy-looking mirror. "Aren't they neat?"

"What are they?" Auron wanted to know.

"I dunno…I think this is a map, though," the Al Bhed replied, waving the parchment at the swordsman.

Auron took the raggedy paper, unfolded it, and peered at it closely. "It's definitely a map, but I can't read it," he finally said.

"Well let me look at it!" Charlie said, taking the map from him. She stared at it for a long moment, turning it this way and that, and then pronounced, "I can't read it either." Auron glared at her, and then she added, "I can't read it, but I do recognize some of these symbols drawn on these locations! Fourteen of them are astrological symbols for planets, and…"

"Charlie…" Lulu sighed, shaking her head with annoyance. "Why don't you save that for later? We really need to leave now."

The younger guardian blinked, taken aback by the sudden interruption, and said, "All right, whatever you say." _"I'll figure it out eventually, I guess, but I really wish that everyone would quit interrupting me when I talk!"_

…

Sometime later, the party left their chocobos behind as they finally made it out of the Calm Lands, and into a canyon spanned by a pair of wooden bridges. They managed to cross the first one unimpeded, but before they could head for the second one, a pair of Guado blocked their path. "Lord Seymour has requested your presence, so come with us," the first one said, his tone brooking no argument.

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour!" Yuna coldly replied.

"Exactly, so I suggest you get out of our way, before you get hurt," Charlie added, drawing her sword.

The first Guado gave the party a dismissive look, clearly unimpressed by their show of force, and said, "Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed. You will come!"

"I warn you, the maester doesn't need you alive," the second elf added, finally putting his input into the conversation.

"_Doesn't need us alive…what the hell is that supposed to mean?"_ Charlie thought, shivering slightly as a trickle of fear ran down her spine.

_**::It means that we will all be one with our master!::**_ the darkness cooed, apparently delighted at the prospect.

"_Oh no the hell we won't! I'll be damned before I let that happen!"_

When the group made no signs of surrender, the two Guado raised their hands in signs of summoning, and several huge thumping sounds erupted under the second bridge. "That…doesn't sound good," Wakka stated, readying his blitzball for battle.

Just then, a huge stone golem emerged from the path under the bridge, and advanced on the party. Raising its massive fists, the monster roared loudly and charged forward, forcing everyone to scatter. The golem managed to catch up to Rikku, but before it could smash her, she chucked one of her many grenades at it. The following blast slowed it down enough for her to escape, but did very little in the way of damage. "Well, I'm out of ideas!" the little thief shouted, throwing another grenade at it before rejoining the group.

The stone giant was slow, but strong and well armored, making it a grave threat. None of the party's attacks seemed to have much effect against it, and it was gradually wearing them down. "This isn't working," Yuna said as she cast another Cure spell on Auron. "I'll have to summon an aeon."

Her eldest guardian did not like the idea of her going to the front of the fight, but knew that it would be wrong to keep her from battling, so he said nothing as she pushed her way between Charlie and Kimahri, and called Valefor into the fray. The bird aeon dropped from the sky like the wrath of God and struck the golem a heavy blow with her talons before heading skyward again. Over and over, Valefor struck the monstrosity like a falcon, leaving cracks in its armor every time she did so. Finally, the aeon moved in for the finishing blow, but at the last moment, the stone fiend raised its enormous fist and brought it down across her back, slamming her into the ground. Apparently, this was too much for the unfortunate Valefor, as she collapsed into a cloud of pyreflies.

Then the aeon's killer let out a roar of triumph, which sounded distorted through its cracked armor, and charged at Yuna, intending to smash her, too. Before it could reach her, however, Wakka flung his blitzball over Yuna's head, and it crashed into the golem at incredible speed before bouncing away. Yuna then used the opportunity to back out of reach as the rest of the group returned to the battle. "You okay?" Wakka asked, hurrying forward to collect his weapon.

"Yes, thank you," the summoner replied, albeit with a pained smile.

"_Wow…having your aeon die must really hurt!"_ Charlie noted, wincing in sympathy. Just then, a loud cracking noise came from the golem's direction, and she snapped out of her reverie in time to see the fiend's chest area collapse, revealing a bright red jewel embedded in the center of its body. "What the hell is that?" she wondered aloud, gaping at the strange object.

Instead of answering her question, Kimahri sucked in a deep breath, opened his mouth, and spit out what appeared to be an enormous seed. The odd projectile rocketed across the distance like a giant bullet, and smashed the red crystal into tiny pieces. With the jewel gone, the golem suddenly stopped moving, and then fell apart, become nothing more than a pile of rubble and limbs. His work finished, the Ronso looked back at Charlie, and then said, "Weakness."

Charlene blinked, disturbed by the way the fight ended, and then shook her head and hurried to rejoin the others before they left her behind. _"That must've been what Lulu meant by Ronsos learning 'the fiends' way of fighting'…anyway, it was really weird, that's for sure!"_

Just then, she realized that everyone was heading for the path leading below the bridge. "Where does this lead?" she asked.

"Down into the valley," Lulu tersely replied.

"You really know your way around, ya?" Wakka said, trying to be friendly.

The mage ignored him, however, and continued into the valley, leaving the others to follow. Down at the bottom of the path, beyond the Life Spring; lay a long, narrow stretch of land hemmed in by the cliff on one side, and a ravine on the other. At one end of the valley, there was a cave with purple fog emanating from it, while the sound of water echoing from the other end revealed a waterfall. "Hey, where are we?" Rikku asked, eyeing the eerie cave.

"The fayth is inside," Lulu replied, "As are the fiends."

"_A fayth?"_

Before Charlie could make any further thoughts on the subject, Wakka let out a gasp of realization, and whispered, "Lu…this where?"

The black mage nodded solemnly, and then answered, "The summoner I guarded on my first pilgrimage…died here." Then she turned to Yuna and said, "Yuna, let's go. The fayth awaits."

Auron, who had been studying the sky, finally turned his attention to the group and said, "It will be getting dark soon, so it will have to wait until morning."

Lulu looked as if she wanted to make an argument, but then thought better of it, instead turning her attentions to assisting with the setup of camp. Charlie, on the other hand, volunteered to go down to the waterfall and replenish everyone's supply. She normally disliked fetching water at the end of the day, but it gave her a chance to get away from the others and collect her rather tired thoughts. _"Lulu lost her first summoner? How? Scratch that, I'm not sure I really want to know…but is the fayth in that cave really worth risking Yuna's life?"_

_**::What does it matter? She is going to die anyway!::**_ the voice within her crowed, apparently over the "attack" it suffered at Remiem Temple. _**::She can die in the cave, or die by our hands… either way; it is death all the same…::**_

"_Shut your mouth!"_ Charlie snarled back at it. _"Yuna's not going to die! I promised that she won't!"_

_**::That is too bad, isn't it?::**_ it laughed._** ::You made a promise you won't be able to keep!::**_

With that, the terrible voice left Charlie alone, although she could still feel its presence within her, and she carried everyone's flasks back to camp. She must have looked as exhausted as she felt, because Rikku gave her a concerned look and said, "Charlie…I'll take first watch tonight, so why don't you get some sleep?"

Too tired to argue, the young woman shuffled to her bedroll, practically fell onto it, and was asleep as soon as she became still.

…

Charlene awoke with a start, panting heavily, sweating profusely, and cursing the wonderful dream that caused both conditions. "You okay?" Wakka asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I just had another nightmare, that's all," she lied. Then she got to her feet, picked up the Brotherhood, and walked off into the darkness. "I'm going to the waterfall for a few minutes to clear my head," she called over her shoulder before the blitzer could ask his obvious question.

The young woman carefully picked her way through the dark path until she reached the small cascade at the end. She looked around for any possible enemies, and then, seeing none, stripped off her yellow jacket and armguard before plunging her head under the falls. The water was ice-cold, and did a great deal to chill her heated body, but it could not soothe her troubled thoughts. _"Why did I dream that? What the hell is wrong with me?"_

"Eh…what am I thinking? Nothing is wrong with me!" she said aloud. "Any woman with a pulse and hormones would react like that!"

_**::Maybe not, but Auron is the last person you need to think about in that way… especially since everyone you love has a bad tendency of dropping dead,:: **_the darkness within her snickered.

"You shut up!" Charlie growled, balling her hands into fists. "That has nothing to do with it!"

_**::Oh really?:: **_The presence shifted, and a horrifying image of a mountain of corpses, all dead by her hand, appeared in front of her. _**::You know as well as I do that I will win, in the end, and I will make sure that you'll get to see the light in your friends' eyes fade as I slaughter them all!::**_

Suddenly, a hand touched Charlie on the shoulder and she inadvertently let out a shriek as she spun around and spotted Auron standing behind her. "You scared the hell out of me, you damn psycho!" she hissed, glaring up at him.

"You shouldn't have come out here alone," he replied, quickly hiding his amusement at her reaction.

"I don't need someone to hold my hand!" she snapped. Then she sighed, "I'm sorry. I've been having trouble sleeping lately."

"Why?"

"Was there something you wanted?" she asked, quickly changing the subject, "Or did you follow me out here for the hell of it?"

Auron eyed her suspiciously, but answered her question by handing her one of the practice blades and then removing his collar and glasses. "You didn't think you'd get out of training, did you?" he asked, watching her carefully.

Charlene responded by lashing out at him with the sword, swinging it full force at his torso. The swordsman blocked it easily, but the energy she put into the blow still surprised him. He shoved her back, and then blinked in surprise when she flung herself at him again, and then again, as he kept deflecting her blows. _"What is she hoping to accomplish?"_ he wondered, dodging another desperate strike. _"She'll only wear herself out this way."_

Charlie continued attacking Auron, knowing good and well that he could easily defeat her this way, but not caring in the least. _"If I exhaust myself enough, maybe the dreams won't follow me. I don't know which are worse: the nightmares or the ones about him…"_

Just then, the older guardian aimed a strike at her head, which she managed to block at the last moment, but only barely. They stayed that way for a moment, their blades locked together, but then he shoved her backward yet again. Charlie staggered back several steps, lost her balance, and nearly fell into the ravine, when Auron darted forward, dropping his practice blade, grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. Then they spun around, their momentum carrying them further, until they slammed into the canyon wall. "Damn it, that hurt!" Charlie yelped, wincing in pain from her squashed position between Auron and the wall.

"It would have hurt a lot more if you fell down there," the swordsman replied, stepping back and letting Charlene off the wall.

The young woman opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort, but shut it again when she felt an annoying, but delicious flush creep through her body. _"Oh God…why the hell does this have to happen now?"_ she asked herself, shutting her eyes against the wave of desire that tried to overwhelm her. _"He smells good…like something spicy, but unfamiliar... Why does he have to smell so damn good?"_ Charlene opened her eyes again, she noticed Auron looking down at her with a peculiar softness in his gaze, and she had to shut her eyes again, fighting off another, stronger impulse. _"I'm not staying here in Spira!"_ she silently cried. _"I can't be with him!"_

"_But you care for him,"_ her heart said, _"And he obviously cares for you more than you thought."_

"_I…I can't do this…I don't want to lose him. I don't want to lose someone else I care about."_

"_Is loving him really all that bad?"_ her heart asked.

"_He's Yuna's guardian!"_ she wailed.

That other part of her laughed at her feeble excuse. _"So are you. It's not against the law for guardians to be more than friends, is it? I hope these aren't your only reasons for fighting yourself tooth and nail."_

"Charlie…" Auron whispered, brushing her hair out of her face and unknowingly silencing her internal conflict. _"What am I doing? I should know better…"_ he thought to himself, although he did not remove his hand from her face.

Meanwhile, Charlene leaned into the caress, coming very close to purring like a cat as she returned the gesture by raising her left hand and lightly running her thumb along his scar. His good eye closed, relishing the contact in spite of himself, but when he felt his self-control fray, the swordsman pulled away slightly. For some reason, that struck a spark of panic in Charlie, and she quickly threw her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and kissed him. Auron froze for a moment, surprised by the younger guardian's move, but then his own control snapped and he returned the kiss and wrapped her in a crushing embrace. Then, almost of their own volition, one hand moved to the back of her head, while the other traced a path of lightning up her spine, sending electric tingles throughout her body.

At the same time, she combed her fingers through his hair and ran them down the back of his neck, letting out an annoyed growl when she hit the edge of his leather armor. That growl then became a giggle as Auron accidentally struck a ticklish spot on her ribs. "No fair…" she murmured. "You have armor on, so I can't get you back for that!"

Auron's only response was a chuckle, barely audible, but genuine nonetheless. Fire burned between them, threatening to consume them both, when that horrible voice chittered in the back of her mind. _**::Oh, poor little child!::**_ it sang, effectively bringing her raging hormones to a screeching halt. _**::You really love him, don't you? That's so touching… I hope you enjoy it while it lasts!::**_

Charlie broke off the kiss, trying very hard not to scream at the darkness, and whispered, "God…Auron, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done that!"

The swordsman gave her a confused look, but released her and stepped back. Then he retrieved their abandoned practice blades, replaced his collar and glasses, and said, "We should return to camp now." _"I'm the one who should apologize. I should have stopped this when I knew where it was leading."_

Charlene followed him, thanking every deity she knew of that he couldn't see her blush. _"I feel like I'm losing my damn mind!"_ she thought. _"He's not even supposed to be a real person, but…I love him. And I don't want to, not with this monster living inside me! It keeps getting stronger, and I'm afraid of what it will do if it takes control of my body!"_

Finally, they made it back to camp, just as Wakka and Kimahri were switching places. "Charlie sleep," the Ronso rumbled, giving her a meaningful look.

"But I thought I was…"

"Now."

"Okay, okay!" Charlie replied, waving her hands in surrender. Then she trudged back to her pallet, flopped onto it, and snarled, "Good night, you two!"

She did not think she'd be able to sleep, not with her body nagging at her, but miraculously, slumber claimed her, and she finally sank into dreamless oblivion.

…

Once Kimahri was sure Charlene was truly asleep, he turned to Auron, who stared broodingly into the fire, and asked, "Does Sir Auron think it wise?"

The swordsman looked up at the Ronso. "You mean Charlie?"

"Sir Auron need Charlie. Kimahri knows this."

"I know," Auron sighed. _"I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it."_

"Kimahri also know Sir Auron should not stay. After journey ends, what then?"

"I wish I knew."

…

The next morning, the group packed up their supplies and ventured into the mysterious cavern where the next fayth laid waiting. The inside was full of more of the purple smoke, as well as large clouds of pyreflies, which lit everything with an eerie glow. Unfortunately, the mazelike darkness of the cave was also full of fiends, which made for slow going. _**::Leave this place…::**_ hissed the demon, who apparently did not like being close to the fayth. _**::I want out of here, NOW!::**_

"Shut UP!" Charlie bellowed, drawing odd looks from everyone else.

"Charlie…no one said anything," Yuna told her, clearly concerned for her friend.

"I…I'm sorry," she replied, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. "This place is just creeping me out, that's all." _"That's all I can say because you won't believe the truth… Hell, sometimes I'm not sure _I_ believe me."_

"What's a fayth doing in a place like this, anyway?" Rikku asked, quickly changing the subject.

"They say it was stolen from a temple long ago," Lulu answered.

"What was the point of that?" Charlie wondered.

"With no fayth, summoners cannot train," Auron replied. "Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. Without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin. That is why."

"Cause then the summoner won't die!" Rikku concluded.

"That must be what the thief was thinking," Wakka said, nodding sagely.

"You know…it'd probably have worked, if they had taken all the fayth," Charlie stated thoughtfully.

No one said anything, instead choosing to continue deeper into the cavern in search of the fayth. "You're hiding something," Auron said to Charlie, pitching his voice so that only she could hear him.

Charlene stiffened for a moment, but then forced herself to relax. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she muttered, striving for a tone of indifference.

"Lying isn't your strong point."

"It's nothing!" she hissed, shooting the older guardian a dirty look. "I can handle it by myself!"

Auron glared at her for one long moment, but before he could say anything, they reached the end of the path and found a particularly violent swarm of pyreflies awaiting them. "Another Guado fiend?" Wakka growled, ready for another fight.

"No," Kimahri replied, shaking his head. "An unsent."

The pyreflies flew around erratically, and then took on the form of a dark-skinned woman dressed in yellow and purple. Shocked, Lulu stepped forward and stared beseechingly at the woman. "It is…it's you, is it not, Lady Ginnem?" The ghostly figure did not answer, so the black mage bowed her head and continued to speak. "Forgive me. I was too young."

Then Yuna stepped forward and began the sending, but Ginnem raised her arm and brought it down again in a clear gesture of denial. A terrible crimson light flashed through the area, stopping the sending. Lulu stared mournfully at her former summoner, and sighed, "There is no human left in you now, is there? Very well…allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian."

Lady Ginnem raised her hand again, this time in summoning, and Charlie found herself struggling not to gape as the new aeon appeared. This one appeared in the form of a samurai with burning green eyes and garbed in attire that blazed in all the colors of the dawn. As the samurai stepped in front of his summoner, a large animal that appeared to be a cross between a dog and a lion joined him. "So…which aeon is this?" Charlie asked, warily eyeing both warrior and companion.

"Yojimbo and Daigoro," Auron replied, also watching the pair. "They are…different from the others."

"Oh, well _that's_ nice to know!"

Yojimbo proved to be not only inhumanly strong, as all aeons are, but incredibly agile as well, as he managed to dodge every attack thrown at him. The attempts at assault, in turn, left the assailant wide open to attacks from Daigoro. Fortunately, Wakka and Lulu's long-range attacks were an asset in this fight, as they kept the dog at bay long enough for Auron, Kimahri, and Charlie to put up a defense against its attempts to maul them. Finally, they were able to defeat Daigoro, but by that time, Yojimbo had disappeared, leaving everyone on guard as they awaited his next attack.

The group did not wait long for that next assault, as the samurai dropped from the ceiling, sword flashing in the dim light of the cave like a fang in the night. Instead of bolting like everyone else, Auron met the aeon's blade with his own, and the two of them became locked in a contest of wills. _"Holy hell!"_ Charlie thought to herself, staring at the two of them in amazement. _"I knew Auron was strong, but this strong? He's standing toe-to-toe with a freaking _aeon_ for Christ's sake!"_

Finally, the two warriors jumped back from one another, sized each other up, and then Auron charged, apparently intent on making an all-or-nothing final strike. Yojimbo, however, did not seem to like the fact that a human could stand against him, and flung an oddly shaped dagger at his assailant. The guardian tried to evade the attack, but the weapon still embedded itself in his left shoulder with a loud thump. Despite the injury, Auron did not stop his charge, swinging his sword one-handed with every bit of his strength. Yojimbo, surprised by the still oncoming attack, threw up his own blade in an attempt to stop it.

The aeon didn't bring his sword up in time, though, and Auron's katana sheared through his body, leaving a massive gouge that bled pyreflies at a rapid rate. In less than a minute, Yojimbo had vanished, leaving a now-defenseless Lady Ginnem to face the group. Instead of battling, however, Yuna stepped forward and finished the previously interrupted sending, allowing the undead summoner to finally find peace on the Farplane. "Strange," Lulu mused aloud. "I thought it would be sadder, somehow. Maybe I've gotten used to farewells."

"You're stronger now," Wakka told her, with no trace of doubt in his voice.

"Wakka…I hope you're right." Then the mage turned to Yuna and said, "Yuna, the fayth is inside. Go do what you came to do."

After healing Auron's wound, the summoner moved toward the pedestal that held the path forward, when Charlene stepped forward and said, "I'm going, too. This isn't a temple, so only God knows what's lurking in there."

…

The makeshift Chamber of the Fayth was very small, with just barely enough room for Yuna and Charlie to stand inside with the statue. The summoner didn't waste any time dropping to her knees beside the singing stone, performing the prayer as she did so. _"I wonder what this guy's going to look like,"_ Charlie thought as she watched her friend's gesture.

_**::KILL HER!::**_ the darkness screeched, _**::Kill her! Break that damn stone! DESTROY THEM BOTH!::**_

Suddenly, a man in a blue and white Crusader uniform appeared, accompanied by a dog, and the shadow retreated for the moment, but not without leaving Charlie with a massive headache. "I am the blade of vengeance," the fayth intoned with all the solemnity of a sentencing. "They dare only whisper my name: Yojimbo. Summoner, I ask you: what do you want of me?"

Yuna paused, carefully considering her answer. Finally, she replied. "I want to defeat the most powerful of enemies…with your help."

Yojimbo laughed at that, and then said, "Very well. If you desire my strength, you must pay my price. Make your offer."

"We have to pay you?" Charlie all but shrieked. "What the hell are you going to do with money? You're stuck in a rock!"

"Old habits die hard," the fayth sardonically replied. "So what will you offer me?"

"These," Charlene answered, pulling out all the mysterious discs she had collected. "They must be worth something, I'm sure."

Yojimbo stared down at the discs in silence, suddenly deep in thought. Then he looked up at both girls and said, "If you have those…then there is no need for payment. My sword shall guard you on your journey."

Yuna blinked, clearly confused by the exchange, but nodded in acknowledgement. Then she got to her feet, dusted herself off, and headed back to the pedestal. Charlie started to follow her, but then the creature within swelled to the surface with a vengeance. _**::Kill her!::**_ it hissed. _**::Take your sword out and plunge it into her back! I want to see her blood stain the sand!::**_

By this time, Charlie had drawn her sword without even realizing she had done so, but Yuna had already vanished. The guardian struggled to force the darkness back into quiescence, but it fought back, nearly drowning her in her own mind. _"No, no, no, no, NO! You WILL NOT control me!"_ she screamed.

However, it was to no avail. The demon had gained the upper hand and was not about to relinquish it. She felt her legs begin walking toward the pedestal of their own volition, and struggled to fight it, although she no longer had the strength to do so. Suddenly, a wall of force appeared between her and the way out, effectively trapping her inside. "You will not harm anyone, demon," Yojimbo stated impassively.

"YOU!" Charlie shrieked in a voice that was not her own, rounding on the fayth in anger. "You haven't the power to destroy me anymore, slayer! You gave it all up to that ineffectual specter you call an aeon!"

"Maybe so," the fayth replied, "But I still have enough to do this!"

Unable to stop herself, Charlie flung herself at Yojimbo, an animalistic scream tearing out of her throat. Before she closed the gap, however, a burst of steely light exploded within her mind, causing both her and the monster controlling her to faint. When she woke up a few moments later, the headache was still present, but a wall of the same silver force that had hit her now kept her unwanted passenger at bay. Finally, she was relatively alone in her mind. "Thank you," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Unfortunately, that beast was right," Yojimbo sadly replied. "I don't have the power to kill him any longer. All I could do was bind him, and even that will not hold forever. You need to seek outside help, Charlene."

"From who?" she bitterly asked. "Who would believe me if I told them that Seymour put a demon in my head?"

"You could try trusting your comrades." Then the fayth dispelled the force that prevented her from leaving, and added, "That barrier I gave you will not hold forever, and if you do not find help by the time it finally falls, you _will_ be lost to your demon…perhaps beyond saving."

A few minutes later, Charlene emerged from the Chamber of the Fayth, and found everyone staring at her as if she had just fallen from space. "What in Yevon's name were you doing in there?" Lulu demanded, clearly impatient with her fellow guardian.

"Hey, is it MY fault that the damn transporter decided it didn't want to work properly?" Charlie snapped, mentally kicking herself for the lie.

The mage eyed her suspiciously, but did not say anything else, and the group finally headed toward the exit. _"Dear God…Yojimbo's right. I need to find help, but how can I tell everyone what almost happened?"_ An image of everyone's hate-filled gazes flashed through her mind, causing her insides to squirm. _"No. I can't handle anyone else turning on me. I have to find a way to beat this on my own."_


	29. Holy Mountain

Chapter 29: Holy Mountain

After Yuna acquired Yojimbo, the group found it a lot easier to exit the caves. Once they got outside, they spent another night in the valley, and continued their journey the next morning. Charlie noticed Yuna staring at the bridge leading back to the Calm Lands, and thought, _"All this time…she's been saying goodbye to all the places she's been. But she won't have to do that anymore, because I'll find a way to help her."_

…

Even at the base of the mountain, Gagazet was bitterly cold and snowy, and Charlene did all she could to suppress a shiver. "Why is this place so empty?" she wondered aloud.

She did not have to wonder long, however, because several Ronso, led by Biran and Yenke, dropped down from the cliffs above, all glaring malevolently at the party. Suddenly, Kelk Ronso stepped through the crowd, and said, "Summoner Yuna and guardians leave this place at once! Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels."

"Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso," Biran snarled, glaring down at the "intruders". "Leave, traitors!"

Instead of backing down, Yuna calmly replied, "I have cast aside Yevon! I follow the temple no more!"

Kelk stared at the summoner for a long moment, his green eyes filled with astonishment. Then he quickly regained his composure and said, "Then you will die by those words!"

"So be it," Yuna responded, seemingly unruffled by the threat. "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"

"Nothing but a bunch of lowdown tricksters, eh?" Wakka added, shaking a fist in emphasis.

"That's right!" Charlie included.

"We have no regrets," Yuna solemnly concluded.

"Blasphemers!" Yenke roared, as he and Biran advanced on the party.

Before they could close the gap, however, Kimahri rushed forward and interposed himself between Yuna and the gold-maned Biran. The two Ronso stared each other down, neither willing to back off, until Kelk broke the tense moment by saying, "A summoner and her guardians…"

"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may," Lulu began, trying to further dispel the tension in the air. "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"

"But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not a maester," Auron said, finally adding something to the conversation. "Yuna is much the same."

Confused, Biran backed away a step, but then recovered his composure, and snarled, "Elder Kelk! Let Biran rend them asunder!"

"No one escape!" Yenke added, favoring the group with a bloodthirsty smile. "Not one!"

"We will not flee," Yuna replied, staring fearlessly at the Ronso. Then she turned her gaze to Kelk, and said, "We will fight, and continue on."

"You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin? Lost to the temple…hated by the people…yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?"

Yuna paused, deep in thought, and then answered his question. "I fight for Spira. The people long for the Calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…this I can do."

"Even sacrificing yourself?" Instead of waiting for an answer, Kelk turned and walked away.

The rest of the Ronso crept closer, menace apparent in their expressions, and the group reached for their weapons. _"Oh God, I _really_ don't want to have to fight my way through a horde of pissed-off Ronso!"_ Charlie nervously thought to herself.

Finally, Kelk turned back around, and said, "Ronso, let them pass!" The Ronso backed away, and the group visibly relaxed as the ex-maester turned his attention back to Yuna. "Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel…tempered steel that not even the mightiest Ronso could hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will. Now go! The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."

"We thank you," Yuna whispered, bowing deeply to the Ronso elder before leading her party into the pass.

…

Once the Ronso stopped impeding their progress, the group found the path leading up through the settlement quickly. The path itself, however, was less than welcoming, as the icy wind clawed at it in a fierce attempt at turning them to ice cubes. Fortunately, Lulu had a small spell that kept everyone from freezing to death, although they still felt the sting of the bitter cold. _"Cold, cold, cold…I hate the damn cold!"_ Charlie thought to herself, shivering as a particularly nasty gust buffeted the party. Pausing to brush the snow from her face, she noticed that Auron seemed to be lost in thought. "What are you thinking about over there?" she asked.

"It is as I thought," he replied.

"What?" Charlie was confused.

"Yevon is in turmoil," Auron elaborated. "Mika tries to keep it whole, but it crumbles around him."

"After the way everyone in Yevon treated us, I really don't give a flying fig about what happens to it."

"Because you are not of this world," he said, peering at her over his sunglasses. "To those who truly believe in the teachings…a time of much pain is coming."

"Yeah…I suppose so…"

The two of them fell silent again, as they finally left the Ronso settlement and arrived at the actual path leading up the mountain. Unfortunately, they did not go very far, before Biran and Yenke appeared before them, blocking their progress yet again. "What the hell do you guys want now?" Charlene demanded, completely irritated with the two Ronso.

"Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass!" Biran snarled, his amber eyes blazing with rage. "Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth."

"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!" Yenke growled.

"Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb…"

"Then I must prove my strength!" Kimahri replied, not backing down from the two larger Ronso.

"Think you will win?" Biran scoffed. "You not forget who took your horn! Never forget!"

"Kimahri never beat brother Biran!" Yenke jeered. "Never win!"

"This time, I win. I will win!"

Charlie growled a curse under her breath and reached for her sword, but Kimahri stopped her. "What is this some kind of Ronso thing?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Kimahri problem," he replied, drawing his spear and stalking toward his opponents.

The two Ronso sneered at their smaller counterpart, clearly unafraid of him. "Biran rend you asunder!" Biran yelled, glaring at Kimahri.

"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke laughed.

Before either of them could deliver any further taunts, Kimahri inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, spraying them both with a powerful burst of water. Once the unusual assault stopped, both Ronso had ice on their fur and grim expressions on their faces. A tense silence ensued, and then shattered as Yenke flung himself headlong at Kimahri with outstretched claws. The smaller Ronso managed to block the attack and toss his assailant aside, but then took a fireball from Biran across his back. "You cheap-shot making bastards!" Charlie shouted angrily as Kimahri dropped to his knees.

"Let him be," Auron said, not taking his gaze from the battle.

"But…"

Just then, Biran and Yenke both rushed forward, intent on catching him with both their attacks at the same time. Before they could connect, however, Kimahri bounded toward Biran, smashing him in the stomach with his shoulder before unleashing a devastating backward kick to Yenke's jaw. Both Ronso staggered backward, giving Kimahri enough time to jump back out of their immediate reach. Then he charged toward Biran, planted his spear into the snow, and used his momentum to launch himself skyward. The small Ronso sailed through the air like a big bird, and then fell on his gold-maned opponent like a bulldozer.

The two of them collapsed to the snowy ground, fists flying in a berserk frenzy of violence, when Biran finally managed to throw Kimahri away from him. The smaller Ronso stumbled, tripping over the fallen Yenke and hitting the ground again. Biran, seeing an opening, sped across the distance, intent on finishing the battle. Before he could close the gap, however, Kimahri sat up again, opened his mouth, and spat out a seed, just as he had during the robot battle. The projectile smashed into Biran's stomach, knocking the breath from his body and breaking several ribs. The Ronso dropped to his knees, let out an unintelligible croak, and passed out.

As soon as the battle was over, Yuna rushed forward, quickly casting healing spells on all three Ronso. Once their injuries healed, Biran and Yenke both stared at Kimahri with expressions of pride. "Strong is Kimahri," Biran rumbled, "Biran is happy." Then he got to his feet, walked away a few steps, looked up at the mountain, and loudly proclaimed, "Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of strong warrior that beats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet…that name is Kimahri!"

"Mountain knows Kimahri is strong," Yenke said, once his comrade finished speaking. "Kimahri may pass."

"Summoner!" Biran called, turning to face Yuna. "We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple."

"Truly?" Yuna asked, almost afraid to believe it.

"Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago," the Ronso solemnly replied.

"We crush enemies following behind," Yenke added.

"Kimahri crush enemies standing before," Kimahri said.

"You are most fortunate summoner," Biran finished with a smile.

"I thank you," Yuna softly replied.

"Ronso will shine your statue brightest!" Yenke said.

Yuna smiled sadly. "Thank you…but I fear no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."

"Then Ronso will make!" Biran vowed.

"With grand horn on head!" Yenke added.

"That…would be wonderful," the summoner said.

Finally, the two Ronso departed, and the group continued up the mountain trail. They didn't go very far, however, before Biran and Yenke returned. "Summoner Yuna!" Biran called, catching everyone's attention.

"Goddamn it! What the hell do you want now?" Charlie yelled, thoroughly irritated by the Ronso and their constant interruptions.

Instead of answering, the two of them began singing the Hymn of the Fayth. Once they finished, the rest of the Ronso tribe showed up and sang it again, their voices echoing eerily through the mountain air, and causing the hairs on the back of Charlene's neck to stand up. Once they finished, they departed again, leaving the party to resume their journey. "That…was possibly the wildest thing I've ever heard," Charlie said, looking back over her shoulder with awe.

…

Time on Gagazet seemed to move at odd intervals. The days seemed to skip forward within the space of an hour, but then shift and ooze along like months, instead. At night, the fiends tended to come out in droves, forcing the group to take shelter in whatever space they could find. One night, they made camp in a cave not far from an odd stone monument that gave Charlene the creeps every time she looked at it. "What is that?" she asked, eyeing the rock uneasily.

"These mark the graves of summoners and guardians who failed," Lulu solemnly replied.

"_How in the world do you know that?"_ Charlie wondered. _"I thought you've never been up here before."_

"Summoners that die up here aren't sent to the Farplane," Lulu continued.

"Oh?"

"Who would send them? They die alone. Many of them have become fiends, and may want Yuna's company."

"Well, they'll just have to do without it, won't they?" the younger guardian replied, resolutely ignoring the doubt the demon within hissed at her.

"You're right," the mage said, smiling slightly.

…

A few days later, the party made it through the snowstorms, and finally arrived on a huge ledge that offered a breathtaking view of the Calm Lands. Touched by such a lovely display, Charlene stopped to stare at it, and only came out of her reverie when Rikku stopped next to her and said "Zanarkand…is just on the other side, you know?"

"Yep," she replied, turning around to stare up the trail.

"Yunie's gonna get the Final Aeon, you know?"

"I know."

"I…still haven't thought of anything," the thief said, apprehension coloring her tone.

"Neither have I," Charlie sadly replied.

"What are we gonna do?" the Al Bhed cried.

"What else can we do? The whole thing about the Final Aeon is one big puzzle, and we can't solve it if we don't have all the pieces…so if we want to help Yuna, we'll have to go to Zanarkand and find out what it is we're missing."

"Hey! Just now, you sounded like a leader, you know?" Rikku said, clearly impressed by Charlie's demeanor.

"Me? Oh, no! That's the _last_ thing you'll catch me trying to pull off…I just get good ideas every now and then, that's all."

The Al Bhed grinned at her friend's modesty, and then turned to leave, but halted and let out a small yelp at something she spotted past Charlene's left shoulder. The older guardian whipped around and felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw Seymour, who gave the girls a cruel smile, like cat with a pair of cornered mice. "We meet again," he said, continuing to grin, revealing a set of fangs that gave them both shivers.

Slowly, Charlie drew her sword, and without taking her eyes off their opponent, said, "Rikku…go get Auron!"

"You are not fighting him alone!"

"Don't argue with me! Just go, damn it!"

Reluctantly, Rikku nodded, and then bolted up the trail after the others. Once she was gone, Charlene launched a vicious attack on the undead Guado, her crystal blade glinting in the cold light as she slashed at his throat, intent on beheading him. Suddenly, a wall of blue-grey force erupted from the snow between them, halting the sword's progress and leaving Seymour unscathed. "You still wish to fight me?" he asked, chuckling at the stunned expression on her face. "How…amusing."

"You won't think so in a minute, bastard!" Charlie snarled, renewing her assault. Unfortunately, her second attack was as ineffective as the first one, and before she could even launch a third attack, the maester raised his hand and somehow froze her in place. "What the hell have you done to me?" she cried, gritting her teeth against the faint burning sensation that had begun to creep through her extremities as her unwanted passenger lashed out in rage at her willingness to attack its master.

Seymour watched her struggle to break free of his compulsion in silent, malicious amusement for a long moment before answering her. "You didn't _really_ think that you'd be free of me that easily, did you?" She did not answer, but spat out a curse and flung a weak Fire spell at him, which he easily blocked. "Wait…I suppose you did. Of course, by now, a normal person would have succumbed to my pet's control, but you are not a Spiran, and _they_ are helping you, so I will just have to break you the old-fashioned way." His ice-blue eyes glittered coldly. "I really should be grateful to you; it was _so_ difficult restraining myself on your behalf, but now we can have some real fun!"

Suddenly, the faint burning in Charlie's limbs intensified, and turned into a stabbing agony that stole her breath before she could even scream. Her sword slipped from fingers that would no longer obey her and she dropped to her knees in the swirling snow before the undead maester dismissed her pain. Charlie struggled to her feet and glared at Seymour, who returned the look with a savage grin, and whispered, "Your hatred…it is so beautiful…"

"Shut up!" she screamed, as Yojimbo's psychic wall buckled slightly under the assaults of the Guado and his minion. "Why don't you go cram your handlebars where the sun doesn't shine?"

Instead of answering verbally, Seymour responded to her taunt by unleashing more pain on her. Charlene dropped to the ground yet again, writhing and screaming in torment. It felt like her blood had turned to boiling acid in her veins; every nerve screamed as if she was severely sunburned with someone dragging sandpaper across her skin; her eyes felt like white-hot needles were stabbing them, and through all of it, black lightning wracked her body like so many barbed whips. A thousand knives of ice flayed the flesh from her bones with the speed of a glacier and all the mountains of the world turned to spikes and crushed her, but death still refused to silence her screams. Finally, the seemingly endless agony ceased, and the sounds of malevolent, insane laughter followed her into the darkness.

…

Rikku ran up the slope as fast as her legs would take her, cursing in Al Bhed whenever a drift slowed her down. _"Oh Charlie, please hold on! Don't die!"_ her thoughts cried, running in circles like a frightened mouse trapped in a barrel. Finally, gasping and shaking, she managed to catch up to the others. "You guys!" she yelled, frantically waving her arms. "Seymour's back there!"

"What?" Wakka and Lulu cried in unison.

"Wait, where's Charlie?" Yuna demanded.

Suddenly, the sound of a woman's scream rang out above the keening mountain wind, chilling their blood more effectively than the frigid air. On and on it went, then finally, it went horribly silent. Without saying a word, Auron drew his sword and bolted back down the slope, immediately followed by the others. The six of them made it to the overhang, and found their comrade lying in the snow at Seymour's feet, twitching slightly as black lightning crawled across her body, but otherwise motionless. "She is still alive," the maester said in a pleasant tone. "Lady Charlie would be rather useless to me if she died, after all."

Just then, Charlene's eyes opened, but she did not get up. No matter how hard she tried, her body simply refused to obey her. _"Everyone…just run away…I'm not worth fighting over…"_ she wanted to tell them, but her voice couldn't produce more than a feeble croak.

Instead of running, Yuna whipped out her staff and twirled it around as she began the sending. "A sending, so soon?" Seymour scoffed, grinning malevolently. Then he let out a bone-chilling giggle and said, "Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave."

"_Last Ronso…what does he mean?"_

_**::The master slaughtered all the others!:: **_the demon within her crowed. _**::Can't you smell the blood and death on him? It is glorious!::**_

"Yours…was truly a gallant race," Seymour told Kimahri. "They threw themselves at me to bar my path, one after another."

"No…" Kimahri said, his expression dark with both rage and sorrow.

"Kimahri…" Yuna whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Seymour saw those tears, and said, "You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso."

"I don't understand you!" she shouted.

"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain." The mad Guado turned away, strode toward the cliff, and stared out over the ledge. "Spira is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy-to heal-Spira, I will become Sin. Yes, with your help." He turned back to Yuna, held out his hand, and said, "Come with me, Yuna."

After hearing all this, Charlene felt a surge of rage well up within her, and she used it to get to her hands and knees again. "You…you leave her the hell alone!" she gasped.

Seymour stared down at her with an unreadable expression. Then he raised his hand, and Charlie let out another agonized scream as the black lightning burned through her body again. She fell to the ground once more and Yuna yelled, "Stop it, Seymour!"

Just then, Kimahri darted forward, brandishing his spear. Before he could connect, however, Seymour floated out of the way. "Pitiful mortal…your hope ends here," he spat, hanging in place.

As he hovered, something resembling a huge yellow demon-chariot rose up above the ledge, and he slowly backed into it, vanishing in a flash of light. It faded as quickly as it appeared, revealing Seymour's new monstrous form. Instead of backing down, however, Kimahri stood his ground and snarled, "You have angered Kimahri! The spirits of the Ronso will guide Kimahri's spear!"

In response, Seymour slashed at the Ronso with his own lance, but missed. He then looked at Yuna, and said, "Do you not want to heal Spira's sorrow? Let death carry you off into peaceful slumber."

"You can't run from your fate!" the summoner replied, before casting a healing spell on Charlie.

Charlene awoke then, but her bones felt like they were made of gelatin. Blearily looking around, she saw her friends on one side, and on the other, a flying monstrosity she knew could only be Seymour. Struggling to her feet, she looked around for her sword, spotted it lying in the snow several feet away, and dove for it. She managed to grab it, but then froze in place when her "passenger" lashed out at her mind. _**::You will not hurt the master this time, you bitch!::**_ it hissed, its voice full of fury.

"_LET…ME…GO!"_ she shrieked back at it.

The demon backed off, and she whipped around just in time, haphazardly blocking a huge blade wielded by Seymour's fiend-chariot as it swept toward her. The force of the impact flung her backward several feet and slammed her into the snow.

…

Charlie awoke again in pain and stared up at Wakka, who stood over her in a protective stance. Something about him looked strange, but in her pain-induced stupor, she couldn't figure out what it was. Then he looked down at her, and she let out a strangled scream. Wakka's face was a mottled green color, and his flesh looked as if it was about to slide from his bones at any moment! "Charlie, you okay?" he asked, his voice sounding like a hollow croak.

The world reeled around her, and turned dark as her zombie-protector returned to the fray.

…_Flash…_

She opened her eyes and found herself in the final chamber of Macalania Temple…but something was wrong. Seymour was nowhere around, and everyone stared at her as if she was a monster. Charlie opened her mouth to speak, just as Auron charged forward and drove five feet of tempered steel through her stomach. Her spine severed, destroying any control over her lower half, causing her to collapse helplessly to the floor as the older guardian withdrew his blade. As she died, she also despaired, as the last thing she saw was the self-satisfied smirk on Auron's face…just before he changed into Seymour.

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke, and the world spun with her as its axis as something colored like the sunrise swept past her like a blast of wind. Somehow, she managed to follow the blur's path, and her eyes widened in shock as it swept around a massive katana and sliced Seymour in half. The undead Guado and his demon-chariot shivered violently, and then exploded in a burst of pyreflies and greenish black smoke. _"Oh…that must have been Yojimbo…"_ she thought to herself as everything faded once more.

…

"Curaga!"

Charlie woke up, this time with everyone standing over her. Gingerly sitting up, her head only spun slightly this time, a fact for which she was very grateful. "Charlie, I'm so glad you didn't die!" Rikku cried, glomping the older girl as she got to her feet.

"I'm glad, too," she replied, wincing slightly.

"What were you thinking?" Auron suddenly demanded.

"Huh?" Charlie was confused.

"What were you thinking, trying to fight Seymour alone?" he repeated, more loudly this time.

Charlene blinked, taken aback at his sudden anger. "What'd you expect me to do, Auron…lie down and die? Should I have run away and have him ambush us up in the pass? That's what _would_ have happened, you know!"

This was true, but it did not make it any less annoying. "So you decided to stay behind and die?" he growled.

"Why are you making such a big deal about it?" she yelled. "You wouldn't freak out like this if Kimahri or Wakka had been in my shoes! 'Protecting Yuna is everything', remember?"

Auron paused, the wind briefly taken out of his sails. "That doesn't mean you should just throw your life away!" he said, switching tactics. _"Are you so determined to make me keep that promise?"_

"But it's my life, Auron," she said, lowering her tone, "And besides, it's not like I was ever meant to be here in the first place. You and I both know that Jecht and the others only brought me here as a replacement."

"Jecht? Replacement? What are you talking about?" Lulu asked, cutting through their dying argument.

Charlene sighed. "I suppose it's time I told you this anyway, since Captain Closemouthed here doesn't plan on it. The person that should actually be standing here is Jecht's son…Tidus."

"But Sir Jecht didn't have a son," Yuna protested.

"Not here," Charlie replied, shaking her head. "Tidus lived in Zanarkand, but there was an accident, and he died. After that, Jecht brought me here in Tidus' place."

"Wait…how could he do that? He was just a human, right?" Rikku asked.

"I don't know how it happened, but Jecht became Sin!" Charlene blurted.

"You hit your head?" Wakka all but yelled.

"I'm serious, Wakka! I didn't believe it at first, but I saw him inside Sin back during Operation Mi'ihen, and again when it carried us from Macalania. Jecht is Sin and Seymour's trying to do the same thing!"

"You sure this isn't some kind of bad toxin dream or something?" the blitzer asked. "How could something like that happen?"

"I really don't know…" Charlie finished sadly.

"We'll learn when we arrive," Auron said, in a "no more discussion" tone, before walking away.

That gesture effectively ended the conversation, and the rest of the group fell into step behind him. _"You really hurt his feelings, with that 'my life' line, you know,"_ her conscience accused. _"He doesn't want you to die, even if it's in the line of duty!"_

"_I know…I don't have a choice, though."_

"_Oh really? Someone's twisting your arm, making you show that you care for him, and then pushing him away?"_ it asked.

"_That night was a mistake. I shouldn't have kissed him."_

_**::No?::**_ the demon asked, slithering outside Yojimbo's psychic wall. _**::You really should have had your fun with him, you know… At least you would have a happy memory to cling to after I win and slaughter all your friends!::**_

"_Shut up! You won't win, and you won't kill anyone! I'm going to find a way to beat you!"_ Charlie silently snarled.

_**::No, you won't… You don't even think that they'll believe anything you tell them about me!::**_

"_Maybe not, but my body won't do you much good if I kill myself, now will it?"_ Startled, the demon backed off, leaving her alone in her mind again. _"I hope it doesn't really come to that…"_ she thought to herself. _"I don't think I could actually go through with it. There's no help for it…I'll have to tell someone about this, and hope to high hell that they'll actually believe me."_


	30. The Dream

Chapter 30: The Dream

The battle with Seymour forced the group to wait another day among a series of ancient pillars to recover, and Charlene found yet another of the strange treasures: a dark grey disc with the word "Shabtay" and a motif of thunderbolts engraved on it. Once the seven of them finished resting, they set off up the mountain pass. Blocked by the walls of rock, the keening of the icy wind faded, but a strange sound, almost like a huge collection of sighs and pyrefly-song took its place. "What in the world is making that noise?" Charlie wondered aloud, almost bumping into Yuna when she came to a sudden stop.

"Wow!" the summoner gasped, her eyes wide with amazement.

Charlie looked around and blinked. She rubbed her eyes and blinked again, but the scene did not fade. On the right side of the path, a wall stood, filled with huge circular carvings and statues of countless people. A glowing blue-green mist poured out of them, drifted across the path, and swirled into a lake surrounding a huge shimmering pillar of water that reached endlessly into the sky. "W-what are those?" Wakka stammered, clearly unnerved by the amazing sight.

"Those are fayth," Yuna explained, edging nearer to get a better look. Then she paled, stepped back, and exclaimed, "A summoning! Someone is using these fayth! Someone is drawing energy from all of them!"

"This many?" Rikku said, her eyes as round as saucers.

"Who wields power on this scale," Lulu wondered aloud. "And what could they be calling?"

"That is a very good question," Charlie replied.

Just then, Rikku trotted up to Auron, gave him her most stubborn look, and said, "Hey…you know something, don't you?" When he did not answer, she added, "C'mon, spill the beans!"

"Look not to others for knowledge," he said, pushing past her. "This is your journey, too."

"Yunie might die, you know?" the little thief replied, her tone more subdued.

Charlene looked at Auron, then at Rikku, and then walked over to the wall of fayth and said, "Well, if no one else is going to try to find out what's going on, then I guess I'll have to."

Without waiting for a response, Charlie reached out her hand, touched one of the glowing statues, and then dropped to the ground as a haze of the mysterious light filled her mind.

…_Flash…_

Charlie opened her eyes and found herself lying, not on Gagazet's path, but a stretch of grass that looked very familiar. Sitting up, she looked around, and spotted a house that she had not seen in over three months. She was home! Eager to see her mother again, she sprinted across the lawn, but then came to a halt when she heard a terrible noise, part laugh and part hiss, ring out behind her. Slowly turning around, Charlene felt her heart stop for a moment as she got a good look at the source of the sound. It was tall, taller than anything she had ever seen and blacker than night, with a long tail ending in a stinger instead of legs, and a pair of forked wings that somehow defied physics and kept it floating above the ground. She looked up past the sleekly muscled torso, to its eyes, which glowed with cold grey-violet light, and stammered, "Y-you can't b-be here! It's not possible!"

The demon grinned. _**::Can't I? I am a part of you now, remember? Anywhere you run, I will be sure to follow you…::**_

Charlie took a step backward, and then another, all the while reaching for a sword that she no longer had. Realizing that she was unarmed, she bolted toward the house, hoping against hope to find some means of escape inside. Suddenly, something hard and heavy struck her across the back, and she hit the ground just a step away from her front porch. Charlene rolled over onto her back in time to see the shadow-creature withdraw its tail, apparently having used it to knock her down. _**::Oh, I'm sorry!::**_ it said, its voice dripping with mock sympathy. _**::But I'm afraid that running away is no longer an option for you, little one…::**_

The demon surged forward, moving with incredible speed despite its size, and all Charlie could do was scoot backwards, one arm raised above her head in a feeble attempt to defend herself. At the last moment, however, she managed to get onto the steps, and a wall of silvery energy erupted from the ground between her and her attacker. Enraged at the loss of its prey, the creature let out a bellow of fury and slammed its head against the barrier. As it continued its tantrum, Charlie got to her feet, and finished climbing the steps, just as the front door opened.

"Welcome home," Bahamut said, as a few pyreflies drifted out of his body.

Charlie blinked, her terror overcome by confusion. "What the hell are you and THAT doing here?" she demanded.

"Never mind that now," the little fayth replied, moving so that he no longer barricaded the still-open door. "Why don't you come inside so we can discuss things without your "friend" interrupting us?"

Instead of arguing, she followed Bahamut into the house and plopped onto the couch with a sigh. "That…thing…it can't get in here, can it?"

The fayth shook his head. "No, as long as the barrier still stands, you'll be safe. Yojimbo was right, though; that wall will not hold forever, and…"

"And I need to get help for it, I know!" Charlie snapped. "What in the name of all things holy am I supposed to do about it, huh? Who am I supposed to tell? Hell, who would believe me?"

Bahamut glared at her, looking very much like a teacher with a hopelessly dense student. "Have you even tried telling the others about your problem, Charlie?"

"No…but in case you hadn't noticed, we were in the middle of climbing a mountain, and I didn't think that it would be a good time to tell them." When the fayth continued staring at her, she added, "I promise that I'll do something about the whole mess just as soon as we get back to civilization, okay? Now would you stop eyeballing me and tell me what's going on? I thought you said I wouldn't be able to go home until everything in Spira was settled."

Suddenly, Wakka appeared between them, but when Charlie took a good look at him, she noticed that his form was transparent. "Hey, what's gotten into you?" he demanded, before vanishing.

Confused, Charlene blinked and rubbed her eyes, but before she could ask the numerous questions bubbling up in her mind, a ghostly image of Rikku appeared. "Wake up! Wake up!" the Al Bhed cried, before disappearing a second later.

"What the hell is going on?" Charlie demanded, turning her attention back to Bahamut. "Am I dreaming, or what?" The little fayth nodded, but said nothing. "Okay, I'm dreaming, and you're here, so I take it you have something important to tell me?"

"Yes…long ago, there was a war."

"I remember Lulu telling me something about that. People were using machina to fight and almost destroyed everything, right?" Charlie asked.

"Actually, only Bevelle was using the machina…and it assured their victory, despite the power of Zanarkand's summoners." Bahamut sadly hung his head. "Zanarkand was doomed, so we tried to save it within a memory."

Charlene paused, confused by those words. "A memory? You mean that the Zanarkand I ended up in was a memory? So that's what all those fayth on the mountain are calling?"

Bahamut nodded. "Not only the city, but all the people within it as well. All of them are dreams of the fayth. And if the fayth stop dreaming, then Zanarkand, and all of its people, will disappear."

"Why would they stop dreaming, though?" Charlie wanted to know. "I thought the whole point was to preserve the city?"

"We've all been dreaming for so long. We're tired. Charlie…that's why we brought you here."

Charlene got to her feet and stared down at Bahamut. "That's another thing that's been bothering me! How did you manage to bring me here in the first place? I'm not from Spira, and I'm not from Zanarkand, or the dream of Zanarkand, or whatever the hell kind of Zanarkand it's supposed to be, so why was I picked for this?"

"Because we could see you," the little fayth replied.

"You could 'see' me? Just what in blue hell is that supposed to mean? What, have you been spying on me all my life or something?"

Bahamut shook his head. "No, we were never able to see into your world before the day we brought you to Spira, and even then, we could only see you, Charlie."

"That still doesn't answer my question!" she cried.

"We panicked. Tidus wasn't supposed to die in that blitzball stadium, but when he did, none of us knew what to do…we thought that our last hope had vanished. Then we saw you watching, and in our panic, pulled you through the Veil from your world to ours."

"And then what? Hoped that I didn't disintegrate or something?" Charlie snapped. Then she noticed Bahamut's shamefaced look, and yelled, "You mean that could have actually happened? What is wrong with you people?"

"I'm sorry Charlie, but we didn't have a choice. It was either you or no one."

Just then, a ghostly image of Yuna appeared. "Wake up! Wake up, please!" she cried, before fading away.

Charlene glowered down at the little fayth a moment longer, and then sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter how I got here…at least you finally told me some of what was going on."

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke to the sight of everyone standing over her, looking as if they were deciding to poke her with Yuna's staff. "Well, that was fun," she said to no one in particular.

"Are you all right?" Yuna worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Charlie replied, getting to her feet.

"What happened to you?" Rikku wanted to know.

"Nothing, really. I just had a crazy dream, but it's over now, so let's just get out of here."


	31. Trial

Chapter 31: Trial

After Charlene's "nap", the group wandered their way through the path of fayth and found themselves standing before the gaping maw of a cavern, and after a moment's hesitation, stepped inside. "Everyone, stay on your guard," Auron said, before drawing his sword. "They'll be upon us soon."

"Who will?" Charlie asked.

"She has sent fiends to test our summoner's strength."

"Who is 'she'?" Yuna wanted to know.

"Yunalesca," Auron replied. "In Zanarkand, she awaits the arrival of the strongest."

Charlene pondered the name for a long moment, and then said, "Isn't that that weird lady we saw in the movie at Seymour's house?"

"She is…still alive?" Yuna asked, ignoring Charlie's question.

"As much as Mika and Seymour," Auron answered.

"I see."

"Lost your nerve?"

Yuna shook her head. "No, nothing frightens me now."

"Braska would be proud," Auron said, smiling slightly.

"Then I must not let him down," Yuna concluded.

The party walked through the darkness of the cave in silence for several minutes, when suddenly, a black shadow swooped down on them from above. "All of you stay where you are!" the shadow said in a raspy voice. "I cannot allow you to pass by."

"Oh, and who the hell are you to tell us we can't?" Charlie demanded.

The shadow flittered around a moment longer, before landing before the party and taking on a solid form. It was a bat-winged fiend, black in hue, and nearly the size of a grown man, and its single scarlet eye gazed the party with a look of pure contempt. "You are quite brave, addressing _me_ in such a manner," the fiend said, glaring at Charlie. "I am Magosha, the first of the guardians of Zanarkand. If you wish to obtain the Final Aeon, then you must pass my trial." It looked everyone over, and then paused when it saw Auron. "You have been here before," it said in surprise.

"I have," the swordsman replied.

"It has been some time since a guardian managed to come this far twice," Magosha said, giving Auron a respectful little bow. "Unfortunately for you, the command my mistress gave me clearly states that all summoners and their guardians must face my trial, no matter if they passed it before."

"I understand," Auron told it.

"Very well, then." The flying fiend turned its attention to Yuna, and said, "Summoner, as I said before, in order to pass, you have to complete my trial. If you decide not to, I will let you go back the way you came unscathed. However, if you agree, but fail, you and your guardians will most likely die, if not lose your minds. Will you still do it?"

"I will."

"Then gather your courage and face the darkness that awaits you!"

With that, Magosha launched itself back into the air, and a huge flash of light burst from its eye, completely overwhelming the party.

…_Flash…_

When Charlene's vision cleared, she found herself standing alone in the cave, with no indication that anyone, other than herself, was around. "Hello?" she called, peering into the darkness, "Is anyone there?"

"Everyone is gone," Bahamut said, appearing before her.

"What? Why?" Charlie wanted to know. "We just started Magosha's trial, so why would they leave me behind?"

"Because you failed," the fayth sadly replied. "You failed your trial, and now you're dead."

Charlie looked down at herself, but did not see any injuries. "I don't look dead…I don't feel dead, so how is this possible?"

"It doesn't matter how…it just is," Bahamut told her sadly. "And now that it's happened…"

Before the little fayth could finish speaking, a cloud of pyreflies appeared and swirled around Charlie in a small tornado of rainbow light, burning away her flesh. She screamed loudly, her voice echoing through the cavern, but the sound quickly turned from a high-pitched wail to a guttural roar. Finally, the light faded and the pain stopped, and she fell to her knees in limp relief. "Thank God that's over," she said aloud, sighing in relief and opening her eyes.

The human hands she expected to see, however, were not there. In their place was a pair of dark blue, reptilian claws tipped with jet-black talons. She looked up at Bahamut, who stared back at her with barely concealed revulsion, and pointed at a small puddle of water nearby. Charlene scurried toward it, peered into its depths, and let out a gasp of horror at what she saw. Instead of her reflection, the face of a monster stared back at her, its violet-grey eyes blazing in the darkness of its...her...face. "How are you going to protect Yuna now?" Bahamut asked. "How are you going to help anyone looking like that?"

"_How can I help her? How can I help anyone? I really am a monster…I always was, but now the flesh matches the soul. What do I do? What do I do?"_

Charlie's thoughts continued in that vein for some time, and her sanity slipped away…only to stop at the last minute as she shook her head violently. "No!" she yelled, ignoring the new sound of her voice. "I can still help Yuna! I'll find a way, no matter what!"

…_Flash…_

When Magosha's blinding light finally faded, Yuna found herself in the middle of the Calm Lands, with no one in sight and no evidence as to how she got there. "Hello? Where is everyone?" she called, looking around the empty field.

"No one is here but us," an ethereal voice whispered.

"Us?" The summoner was confused.

"You…me…and it."

"It?"

Yuna then noticed that the sun had faded, but when she looked up, she saw that the cause was not clouds, but Sin. Despite her earlier assurances, panic crept over her, as did the urge to flee, but she managed to fight it and regain her composure, just as the mysterious voice spoke to her again. "Sin is here, and now it is time for us to fight. Call me, Yuna, and we will defeat it together."

Without a moment's hesitation, she performed the summoning and gazed with wonder at her Final Aeon. It resembled a huge snake, but with its fins and azure hue, it clearly embodied all that dealt with the element of Water. "Go forth, Leviathan!" she cried, encouraging the newborn aeon as it swept forward to clash with Sin.

Leviathan opened its mouth and let out a huge jet of water that crashed into its opponent with tremendous force, gouging out a huge chunk of its hide. Sin, however, seemed to ignore the assault, raising its claw and smashing the aeon in one blow. Yuna let out a terrible cry of agony and collapsed to the ground as Leviathan faded into nothingness. "Why? Why didn't it work?" she cried as waves of pain and shame wracked her body.

As she lay there, another shadow fell over her, this time belonging to Rikku. "The Final Aeon didn't work?" the Al Bhed asked, looking both amazed and relieved. "You're still alive, though, so now you can give up your pilgrimage. No one would blame you, you know?"

"_I could, but…"_ Yuna shook her head and hauled herself to her feet. "No, even if the Final Aeon didn't work, I still have to try. I will not stop until I defeat Sin."

…_Flash…_

The light faded, and Auron found himself in the ruins of Zanarkand, face-to-face with the one being he despised most. "You're here again?" Yunalesca asked, her amber eyes bright with amusement as she surveyed the guardian. "You do not give up, do you?"

"_This is just a test,"_ he told himself, fighting the anger burning in his heart. _"None of this is real."_

"Guardian, are you so sure that this isn't real?" the ancient summoner asked. "How do you know that the other place isn't the illusion?"

"Either give me your test or let me pass, but don't play games with me, Yunalesca," Auron growled. "I don't have time for this."

"Very well." Yunalesca waved her hand, and a wall of darkness rose between them. "Tell me what you see, guardian."

Auron glowered at the wall, not seeing anything at first, but felt his heart leap into his throat when Braska and Jecht appeared, followed by Yuna and Charlie. "What is this?" he demanded, holding fast against the pain welling up inside his heart.

"A choice," Yunalesca replied. "I can give you the lives of your original companions, or I can release the ones you have now…"

"That isn't possible and you know it!" Auron snapped, interrupting the summoner. "Braska has gone on to the Farplane and Jecht has become Sin…and you should know better than anyone that there is no way to bring back the dead."

"There is, if you are willing to pay for it. As I said, I can give your companions back their lives, but it will cost you the lives of the other two. A life for a life is a fair exchange, is it not?"

Auron's eye widened in shock, and he quickly turned away from the shadowy wall, only find his younger self staring back at him in desperation. "Take her offer!" the younger Auron cried. "This is your chance to save them!"

His heart hammered in his chest as all the old pain crashed down on him. "I cannot," he replied, his voice almost a whisper.

"Why not?" his younger self demanded. "Those other two…you don't really know either of them."

"I promised Braska that I would help Yuna!" Auron snapped. "And Jecht is Sin, now. There is no coming back from that until he is defeated."

"That is true, but what about the other girl, Charlie? You don't owe her anything, so you could always trade her for Lord Braska."

"_Her life for his? No. Life is not something to be traded in such a manner." _"You want me to choose?" Auron turned back toward the wall, slammed his fist against it, and yelled, "I choose not to play this game any longer!"

Suddenly, everything faded to black, leaving the swordsman standing in empty space with Magosha floating across from him. "Nothing hurts worse than an old wound reopened…I am truly sorry about that, guardian, but it couldn't be helped."

"I know," Auron quietly replied, not looking at the fiend. "The test is designed to attack the heart." _"That doesn't make it hurt any less."_

…_Flash…_

Kimahri opened his eyes and looked around, realizing that he was not in the cave, but back outside on the mountain. _"Where Yuna? Where others?"_ the Ronso wondered, walking forward, despite the howling wind and snow that obscured his vision.

He walked for what seemed like an eternity, stopping occasionally to call for Yuna and the others, but never heard a response, other than the unceasing wind. Finally, however, the terrible weather cleared, revealing a fork in the path ahead. On the left-hand path, Yuna stood waiting, and on the right, a village…_his _village. Confused, Kimahri stopped walking, and stood at the crossroads. Suddenly, the village burst into flame, and he could hear the roars of the other Ronso as they engaged in battle with an enemy he could not see. As Kimahri started to hurry to the village's aid, something huge and dark swooped down from the sky onto Yuna, knocking her to the ground and pinning her. The Ronso guardian froze, torn between his desire to aid his kin or his summoner. "Kimahri, go help the village!" Yuna cried, struggling beneath the shadow-beast's claws.

By now, Kimahri could hear the battle cries change to roars of pain and death as whatever attacked the village killed everyone in its way. He froze again, his heart pounding and his soul burning with pain. Lose his people, or lose Yuna…all the enemies he had faced until now were nothing compared to this, and it hurt more than he could bear. Unable to take anymore, he let out the loudest roar of his life, drew his spear, and charged down the path, straight toward the fiend holding Yuna. Instead of fighting, however, the creature flew away, leaving the summoner unharmed. "Why, Kimahri?" Yuna wept, staring out at the now-silent husk of the village. "Why did you choose me? Those were your people down there!"

The pain and sorrow were still there, weighing heavily on his heart, but Kimahri swallowed them down. "Kimahri not save everyone. Kimahri know this." he sadly replied, facing that terrible truth. "Yuna important, too. Insult fallen Ronso if Kimahri abandon Yuna."

…_Flash…_

Lulu awakened to find herself alone in a dark place she did not recognize. Was it the cave? Was it death? She could not tell. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps behind her attracted her attention. The mage quickly turned around to see…herself? "On another pilgrimage, are we?" her other self asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement.

"What is this?" Lulu demanded, glaring at her double. "Who are you?"

"I'm you, of course," Other-Lulu replied. "To be exact, I'm you, only better."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

Other-Lulu sneered, and the real Lulu wondered if she had ever worn such an ugly expression. "I'm better because, unlike you, I learned when to give up. I learned that there is no point in either of us being guardians, because our pilgrimages are destined to fail!" the other cried.

Lulu felt the blood drain from her face in one icy rush. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "That's not true!" she finally managed to whisper.

"No? What about Lady Ginnem? What about Father Zuke?" The other mage paused for a moment, and then added, "You know, Father Zuke quit when he did because he knew that you'd fail him just like you did Lady Ginnem."

"Stop it!" Lulu shouted, turning away and covering her ears.

Other-Lulu vanished and reappeared in front of the weeping mage, and snatched her hands away; forcing her to hear what she had to say. "Pretty little mage, so full of pride in her power and knowledge…you're pathetic! Face it, you are doomed to fail, and deep inside, you know as well as I do that it's because you hate the summoners! You hate the fact that they still have more power than you, and so you let them die…or quit and become disgraced. Which one of those fates do you have in store for Yuna, hmm?"

"You're wrong," Lulu quietly replied, managing to regain her composure.

"What was that?" the other asked, eyeing her warily.

"I said you're wrong," Lulu answered, louder this time. "I have never hated any of the summoners I've guarded. Yes, I have made mistakes because of my pride, but I have never put it above the life of another person."

Instead of responding, Other-Lulu vanished, leaving the mage alone in the darkness again. "I never realized how much it would hurt to hear someone say it aloud, even if that someone was me," she whispered to the empty air.

…_Flash…_

When the world stopped spinning, Rikku found herself in the Calm Lands watching helplessly as Yuna engaged in a furious battle with Sin. "This isn't real!" Rikku yelled, ducking as a stray energy bolt blasted its way past her. "We haven't even reached Zanarkand yet!"

Despite her denial, however, the battle continued, and the little thief could only look on in horror as her cousin summoned the Final Aeon, which tore its way from Yuna's body and charged Sin. Before it could even begin to put up a fight, however, Sin blasted it to pyreflies, rendering all of Yuna's hard work useless. "Yunie…" Rikku whispered as hot tears poured down her cheeks. Then she noticed that Sin was leaving, and she felt the flames of a terrible, boiling rage burn in her heart. "You get back here!" she screamed, wildly brandishing her claw and giving chase.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rikku knew that knew that chasing Sin like this was tantamount to suicide, but her grief and anger kept her from caring. However, the great beast continued its departure, paying no attention to the little Al Bhed. Finally, Sin vanished beyond the vast scar of the Calm Lands, and Rikku could no longer keep up the pursuit. Suddenly, all of the rage drained from Rikku's body, replaced by exhaustion and blackest despair. Unable to stand, she dropped to the ground and let out a heart-wrenching wail. She had fought so hard to save Yuna, only to fail miserably. All Rikku wanted now was to lie down and die.

"_Are you giving up, Rikku?"_ a ghostly voice whispered into her mind. _"That's not like you."_

"Go away and let me die in peace," the Al Bhed whimpered, not wanting to roll over and look at the source of that voice. "You're just a memory now, anyway, Mom."

"_Oh really? If that's the case, then why would I be here?"_ Her mother asked, appearing in front of her.

"I don't know!" Rikku snapped, finally sitting up. "I don't know! I don't know! I…DON'T…KNOW!"

Her mother floated back a step, and shook her head. _"It's easy to give up, you know. We could have given up when the Guado attacked Home…we could have given up back when Sin destroyed our old island…everyone expected us to give up when Yevon attacked us before, but we didn't. It's hard to keep going in the face of adversity, but we Al Bhed manage it. Rikku, can you really do any less?"_

Rikku looked up at the vision of her mother, and shook her head. "You're right, Mom," she said, getting to her feet. "I can't quit yet! As long as I'm still alive, I can still fight, and keep anyone else from dying in vain!"

…_Flash…_

Wakka opened his eyes and looked around in amazement when he realized that he was back on Besaid Island. "How did I get back here?" he wondered aloud as he looked around.

Suddenly, a slightly younger Lulu appeared, weeping as if her heart was breaking. "He's gone, Wakka," she whispered, her shoulders shaking.

"Who's gone? Lulu, what are you talking about?"

The black mage looked up at Wakka as if he had lost his mind. "Chappu is gone, Wakka. He's dead!"

Despite already knowing this in the waking world, having to relive it instantly awoke all the pain and heartache once again and hit him like a blow to the gut. Wakka felt his knees buckle, and sat down quickly before his legs could give out. _"Chappu is dead…I know that, ya?"_

"_It's your fault, you know,"_ an insidious voice whispered in the back of his mind as both Besaid and Lulu disappeared.

"What are you talking about?" Wakka demanded, looking around in the darkness.

"_I'm talking about Chappu's death. He didn't have to die…but _you_ wanted him to."_

"No, I didn't!" Wakka yelled, jumping to his feet. "I never wanted that!"

"_Oh really? If you never wanted that, then why was it that, you were always secretly hoping that Lulu would turn to you, even before he died? You were jealous and you know it!"_

Wakka felt his blood run cold at how close to the truth the voice had come. "Yeah, I was jealous," he admitted, hanging his head. "I've always liked Lulu, ya? But that don't mean that I wanted Chappu to die." He straightened up and shook a fist at the darkness. "I never wanted him to die, even if that meant losing Lulu!"

…_Flash…_

Everyone came to, and realized that they were finally back in the cave where they had started, with Magosha watching them from its perch on a nearby stalagmite. "Well, well, well," it began, ruffling its wings. "You all did surprisingly well."

"What did you do to us?" Rikku demanded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I gave all of you scenarios based on the deepest truths of your heart. Not many souls have the courage to face those truths without going mad, so you should be proud of yourselves." Magosha then leapt into the air and flew away from the path. "You have passed your first trial, so now you may continue onward. Be warned, however, that there are still two more trials ahead."

With that, the flying fiend melted into the shadows and vanished. "Is everyone okay?" Yuna asked, looking worriedly at her guardians.

"We're all fine," Auron said, seeming somehow unruffled by the whole ordeal. "We're ready to leave as soon as you are, Yuna."

The summoner looked around at the rest of the party, and when they nodded in agreement, she said, "All right, then. Let's go."


	32. Onward

Chapter 32: Onward

The party continued through the gloom of the cavern for some time, searching for the exit and fighting fiends as they went. "How long does this cave go on, anyway?" Charlie asked as they stopped at a Life Spring.

"Oh, don't worry, you're near the end, young guardian" said a warm, purring voice.

Startled, everyone turned around and found a large, silver-furred Coeurl stretched out on the ground between them and the path ahead. "Are you the next trial?" Yuna asked.

The great cat turned its violet gaze toward the summoner and said, "Yes, I am Hodai, the second guardian of Zanarkand. Since you're all here, I take it you have passed Magosha's test?" Everyone nodded silently, and the fiend continued to speak. "My trial is different. All I will do is ask you a riddle, and all you have to do is answer it correctly. If you give me the correct answer, I will let you pass, but if you give me the wrong answer, I will kill you all. Of course, you can also refuse to answer, and you will be free to leave the way you came. Do you agree to these terms, summoner?"

"Yes," Yuna replied.

Hodai got to its feet, stretched, and said, "Very well, here is my riddle: What bites without teeth, howls without a voice, rises without legs, and dies without ever having life?"

Charlie blinked, and then looked at the others. "I have no idea. How does something die without living, anyway?"

"Or rise without legs," Rikku added, looking very bewildered. Then she turned to Auron and asked, "Hey, don't you know the answer?"

"It asked a different riddle the last time I was here," the swordsman replied.

"Could it be a snake?" Wakka suggested. "They don't got no legs, ya?"

"They don't howl, either," Lulu said, shaking her head.

"Bites without teeth…" Yuna muttered. "Kimahri, do you have any ideas?"

"Kimahri not like riddles," the Ronso rumbled, folding his arms and glaring at Hodai.

The Coeurl blinked its purple eyes benignly at the group, but did nothing else. "If you give up, you can always turn back," it said.

"No," Yuna answered. "We have to keep going. We will solve your riddle."

"_Yeah, if we can ever figure the damn thing out,"_ Charlene mentally grumbled, sighing aloud as she did so.

"That's it!" Lulu suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone.

"What's it?" Wakka wanted to know.

"The answer to the riddle is 'the wind'," the mage replied, looking over at Charlie. "It came to me when she sighed just now. The wind can bite without teeth, howl without a voice, rise without legs, and die without life."

After Lulu's amazing proclamation, everyone whipped around to stare at Hodai, who looked startled at the sudden answer. "She's right," the cat said, stepping out of the path. "You've passed my challenge, so you may go forward. Congratulations, and good luck with the next trial."

With that, Hodai faded, and then dissipated into a cloud of pyreflies, leaving the exit open. "So why didn't you make a suggestion, Auron?" Charlie asked as they walked up the path.

"I'm not good at riddles," he replied, not looking at her.

"So…who solved the riddle the last time you came through here, then? Braska, or Jecht?"

"Jecht wasn't good with riddles, either, so Braska solved it by himself," Auron said with a rueful chuckle.

…

Finally, the seven of them made it out of the cave, and paused as the orange light of the slowly setting sun washed over them. In their path, however, stood a huge, white-scaled dragon with four flightless wings made of gently waving tendrils. The great fiend immediately noticed them and let out a low, rumbling growl. "A summoner's party, I see," it said, its voice a guttural snarl. "Since you're here, you must have passed Magosha's and Hodai's trials. I am Hogoten, the last of the guardians, and my trial is a test of your power. If you wish to continue to Zanarkand, you and your guardians must defeat me in battle. Do you wish to do so?"

"Yes," Yuna replied, brandishing her staff.

Hogoten laughed loudly, ruffling its strange wings as it did so, and said, "You have a lot of spirit, summoner. I think I'll enjoy this battle after all."

Without another word, the great dragon swept its tail at the group, scattering them as they attempted to evade the attack. As it stepped back, Lulu hurled a Blizzaga spell at it, causing it to writhe as shards of ice pierced its flesh. Enraged, the fiend charged forward, raking at the black mage with its talons, but she managed dive out of the way at the last moment. Meanwhile, Wakka hurled his blitzball and hit Hogoten in the face, making it pause long enough for Lulu to make her retreat and Rikku to throw a grenade. "You're going to have to try harder than this," the dragon roared, fanning its wing-tendrils skyward.

Bluish-white bursts of light fired out of each of the tendrils, sailed through the air, and rained down on the group like the wrath of the heavens. When the dust cleared, Rikku and Wakka were on the ground, Kimahri was sheltering Yuna, and Auron, Lulu, and Charlie were getting to their feet. "Well, that was unpleasant," Charlie muttered, before picking up her sword and charging the dragon.

Hogoten noticed her oncoming assault, and whipped its tail around at her. Charlene managed to stop short and barely evade the attack, and brought her sword down on the offending appendage. Dark red blood and several pyreflies leaked out of the wound she made, but other than that, the attack did not do much, other than keep the dragon's attention on her. Hogoten's sapphire eyes glowed brightly as a burning orange sigil blazed around its now gaping maw, and a large beam of red-gold light fired straight at Charlie, blowing her off her feet and filling her mind with a strange blankness. When the when the odd paralysis finally wore off, Yuna was hovering over her, casting healing spells, while Kimahri and Auron simultaneously lashed out at Hogoten. "Are you okay?" Yuna asked, as Charlene got to her feet.

"Yeah," she groaned, shaking her head to clear it. "That thing's breath sure packs a wallop."

As if in response to her comment, the dragon-fiend unleashed another burst of its breath weapon, this time at Auron. Unlike Charlie, however, the swordsman managed to stay on his feet and retaliated with tremendous overhand strike. Hogoten flinched away at the last moment, and Auron's heavy blade sheared through one of the dragon's horns, instead of its skull. Before the guardian could make another attack, the dragon quickly batted him away with a massive talon, only to take a heavy blow from Kimahri as the Ronso vaulted into the air and crashed into the beast, impaling his spear in the base of its left wing. Hogoten let out a terrible, ear-splitting roar and thrashed wildly about in an attempt to dislodge Kimahri from its back, while Lulu launched a volley of spells at its head.

Hogoten finally managed to throw Kimahri to the ground, and immediately raised its wings to fire a counterstrike at the party. The rain of lights exploded on the group, this time throwing everyone but Rikku to the ground, and the Al Bhed gave the others some time to recover by throwing a bomb at the dragon-fiend. The explosive detonated, causing a chain reaction that created several large bursts of flame similar to Lulu's spell-frenzies. When the explosions stopped, and the smoke cleared, Hogoten readied yet another breath attack, but let out a roar of pain and surprise when Shiva appeared and slammed a burst of ice in its face. The icy aeon quickly followed that attack with several savage kicks, but before she could follow up with the finishing blow, the dragon knocked her backward with its tail and roared, "I'm not out of this fight yet!"

It then slashed at Shiva with its talons, striking the aeon a terrible blow, but before it could move in for the kill, she turned the tables by casting Blizzara and summoning a spire of ice that impaled the dragon through the chest. Hogoten thrashed wildly as numerous pyreflies leaked out of its body at a rapid pace, and then the dragon exploded in a burst of light, leaving the party alone on the mountain trail. As Yuna dismissed Shiva, Rikku slumped forward and put her hands on her knees to keep from falling over. "Hey, can't we rest a little?" the thief asked, panting with exhaustion.

"No need," Auron impassively replied. "We reach the summit soon."

"I know, that's why I want to stop for a bit," she quietly said, "Soon means that…that there's not much time left."

"Rikku…" Yuna began.

"Fine," Rikku said, cutting the summoner short. "I'll think on the way."

The little thief walked off, leaving the rest of the group to follow her. Charlie lagged behind, lost in thought. _"Poor Rikku…she's really taking this hard. Not that I blame her. There's got to be a way to help Yuna."_

Just ahead, Wakka stopped, noticed Charlie had fallen behind, turned around, and said, "Hey, come on, let's go."

Charlene gave the blitzer a pained look. "We really are almost there, aren't we?"

Wakka nodded. "We've come a long way."

Auron, apparently listening to the two of them, chuckled loudly. "What are you laughing about?" Charlie wanted to know.

"You remind me of myself," the older guardian replied, turning to face her. "Before, the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered…when we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon. He will fight Sin, then die. I thought my mind was made up long before, but when I stood here, my resolve wavered."

Wakka looked a little stunned at that announcement, but quickly recovered. "Huh, never would have figured. Legendary guardians choke sometimes, too, ya?"

"Legendary guardian? I was just a boy," he said, his expression unreadable. "A boy about your age, actually. I wanted to change the world, too, but I changed nothing. That is my story."

With that, Auron turned around and walked away. Charlie watched him leave, and felt a quiet kind of sadness stir her heart. _"The way he said that, it sounds like he's still in a lot of pain over it. I wish I could do something about it…"_

…

A few minutes later, Charlie caught up with the others just as they reached the summit overlooking Zanarkand…but not the Zanarkand Charlie knew. This one was in ruins, a necropolis a thousand years old…both beautiful and sad. "Yuna, I say no!" Rikku cried, her voice quavering with barely suppressed tears. "If we go down there, then you'll…"

Yuna shook her head. "Rikku, you're a true friend, and I thank you, but I must go…down to Zanarkand."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go, but shouldn't we think about it some more? There's gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna!"

"All my life, I knew this moment would come."

"Yunie…" Rikku whimpered, trailing off as tears threatened to overwhelm her.

Yuna stepped forward to embrace her cousin, unknowingly dropping a sphere as she did so. "Thank you, Rikku," she said, continuing to hug her. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't say that, Yunie!" the Al Bhed replied, stepping back. "It's not over yet!"

"Tell Cid I said thank you."

"No, you can tell him yourself," Rikku said, looking away.

"Please…" Yuna pleaded.

"Yunie, don't say that because we're gonna see each other again, okay?"

Yuna nodded silently, and then walked away, with first Kimahri, and then everyone else falling in step behind her. Meanwhile, Charlie remained behind, and picked up the sphere Yuna dropped. "This looks like the one Jecht left behind in Macalania," she murmured, looking at it closely. "I wonder what's on it."

Before her conscience could berate her for snooping, she quickly pushed the button on the base of the sphere and watched as it began to play. At first, all it showed was the Mi'ihen Highroad Travel Agency when they had stayed there so many weeks ago, but then it turned toward the sunset, and Yuna began to speak. "Sir Auron, Kimahri told me when my father wanted me taken from Bevelle to Besaid…it was you who told Kimahri, right? I had always wanted to meet you some day. I'm truly glad I had that chance."

"_This must be Yuna's video-will or something like that…"_

"Having you as a guardian is so great an honor I don't know how to thank you," the recording continued. "Perhaps if I defeat Sin, that will be my thanks to you. That's what I'll do. Yes. I will challenge Sin, I will defeat Sin. If you are all there watching this, then I guess Sin is already gone…and so am I, I suppose. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you, Sir Auron. Kimahri…" here, she paused and giggled. "Do you remember the first day we met? I was only seven. My father had defeated Sin, and all Bevelle was celebrating. Everyone was saying what a hero my father was. I was so happy…but when night came, it occurred to me: my father had defeated Sin, and now he was dead. Now, I was all alone. I couldn't sleep, so I wandered into town, away from the celebrating crowds. I stood on the bridge in Bevelle where my father and I had parted. Standing there, alone, I could see the fields where he had fought Sin. Then, you appeared, Kimahri. You said you were looking for the daughter of Braska, remember? At first, I was so scared, until I realized what a gentle person you are. You weren't used to talking to children. When I told you I was Braska's daughter, you said you would take me as far from Bevelle as you could…that it was the wish of a man facing death. I…I think I cried then, because that…that was when I knew my father was dead and I would never see him again. You just held me, without saying a word. I cried when we got to Besaid, too, when you tried to go after leaving me in the care of the temple. I held on to you, crying, 'Don't go! Don't go!' And you listened, Kimahri. You stayed. Kimahri, thank you. Thank you so much…and I've always liked your broken horn.

"Wakka, Lulu…I'll never forget my days spent with you, growing up in Besaid. We always played together, us and Chappu…that's why I was always so happy, I think. And when you refused to let me become a summoner and I did it anyway…I'm sorry. I've always wanted to apologize. You know, when you tried to stop me then-I was really happy. I could tell you really cared about me. You were like my big brother and sister. No…I think you really were my big brother and sister. What else…I love watching you play blitzball, Wakka. I even love it when you scold me, Lulu. Really! I guess that leaves…the newest guardian…

"_Me?"_

"I just…I know we haven't known each other long, but I'm glad we met, and…"

"Hey, why are you out here all by yourself?" an all-too familiar voice cut in, startling Yuna and causing her to turn off the sphere.

Charlene looked down at the now-quiet sphere, put it in with the rest of her belongings, and whispered, "Yuna, you're going to tell us all of this after you beat Sin, because we're going to find a way for you to beat it without dying!"

_**::That's what you hope, anyway!::**_ the demon hissed at her, cackling wildly within her mind.

…

After Charlene caught up with the rest of the party, they followed the winding trail down into the ruins of Zanarkand, and made camp just outside the central part of the city. Charlene looked around in the fading red light of sunset, and noticed that the area looked very familiar. _"This is where the opening scene of the whole game takes place!"_ Charlie realized, staring wide-eyed at the path ahead. She turned around and opened her mouth, fully prepared to announce this to the others, when her conscience berated her. _"That's not a good idea! Do you really want to tell them that this is all a video game, and that they're supposed to be fictional characters? They'd all think you've lost your last marble! Anyway, Auron didn't feel very fictional when you were making out with him down in that ravine, did he?"_

Charlie quickly slammed the door on that train of thought and turned around, blushing hotly and doing her best keep from looking at Auron, who stared broodingly into the small campfire nearby. Eventually, the sun completely set, and twilight deepened into true night. Millions of stars twinkled overhead, and Yuna got to her feet, picked up her staff, and said, "Let's go."

Without saying a word, everyone followed suit, and made their way through the broken streets as pyreflies streamed by like the arms of a small galaxy come to rest on the earth. "Looks like the Farplane," Wakka commented, watching another cluster of pyreflies float by, on their way to an unknown destination.

"Close enough," Auron tersely replied, not looking at anyone.

They continued forward, picking their way through the rubble, and fighting various fiends that came looking for an easy meal. After facing the trials of the three guardians, however, the smaller battles were surprisingly easy, and eventually, the seven of them made it to the ruins of an ancient blitzball stadium. _"This is the place where Tidus died…and I was dragged to Spira…"_

Suddenly, several pyreflies grouped together, and took on the form of an ancient-looking priest. "Journeyer of the long road, name yourself," the ghost commanded, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"I am the summoner Yuna," Yuna replied. "I have come from the island of Besaid."

The old man edged closer. "Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have traveled." He peered into Yuna's two-colored eyes for a long moment, and then said, "Very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go."

Having said his piece, the ghost walked away, vanishing as he did so, leaving the party to pick their way through the wreckage of the stadium. They did not travel far, however, before a pair of ghostly women in Crusader garb appeared before them. "If it might benefit the future of Spira, use my life," said the first woman. "It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin."

Before the other woman could make a reply, the two of them vanished, leaving the group alone again. "What…what was that?" Rikku asked, visibly shaken by the sudden appearance.

"Our predecessors," Auron replied, refusing to look at anyone.

"She said 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she?" Lulu asked, her red eyes filled with confusion. "Wait! She guarded High Summoner Yocun?"

"This dome is filled with pyreflies," Auron explained, still looking away. "It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here…forever."

"_Auron seems really upset,"_ Charlie thought as they resumed walking through Zanarkand's ruined streets. _"It must be really hard on him, having to come through here again."_

Suddenly, a dark-haired, grey-eyed woman, and a small boy with spiky blue hair appeared. The boy's eyes were full of tears as he looked up at the woman, who was obviously his mother. "No, Mother, no!" he cried, shaking his head. "I don't want you to become a fayth!"

"_Seymour…he looks so sad…"_ Charlie thought, her heart full of pity.

Seymour's mother shook her head at her son. "There is no other way," she told him with a sorrowful expression on her face. "Use me and defeat Sin…only then will the people accept you."

"I don't care about them," little Seymour wailed. "I need you, Mother! No one else."

His mother winced, obviously in a great deal of pain. "I don't…have much time left."

The specters then vanished, just as quickly as they appeared. "Hey," Wakka began, looking startled. "Wasn't that…"

"Seymour?" Rikku supplied, looking somewhat startled, herself.

"Man, this place is really creepy!" Charlie commented, as ghostly images of Auron, Jecht, and Braska ran by, passing through her as they did so.

The group hurried down the street and managed to catch up to their phantom predecessors. "Hey, Braska, you don't have to do this," Jecht said, clearly not happy about what would soon happen.

"Thank you for your concern," Braska replied, turning to look at his friend.

"Fine, I said my piece," the blitz star said, folding his arms.

"Well, I haven't!" Younger Auron said, his expression one of anguish. "Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you…die!"

"You knew this was to happen, my friend," Braska said with a sad smile.

The swordsman hung his head. "Yes, but I…I cannot accept it."

Braska chuckled sadly, and shook his head. "Auron, I am honored that you care for me so, but I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron."

The images faded, leaving everyone alone in the ruins yet again. _"Auron tried so hard to change Braska's mind, but failed,"_ Charlie noted, absently staring at his back as he walked ahead of her. _"Is he hoping that we'll be able to stop Yuna?"_

_**::Go ahead and hope, fool!::**_ the demon crowed. _**::In the end, it won't do you any good. They are all going to die!::**_

"Shut up," she snarled aloud, startling everyone.

"Charlie, who are you talking to?" Yuna asked, giving her friend a worried look.

"No one," she quickly replied. "I…just got a stupid song stuck in my head, so I told it to shut up…"

It was a lame excuse, but apparently, it worked, since no one questioned it. The seven of them continued walking, and finally made it into a long corridor full of stairs, at the top of which was a Life Spring, a door, and the ghostly images of Jecht, Braska, and Auron. "Are the trials ahead?" Jecht asked, a little impatiently.

"Probably," Braska replied as he touched the Life Spring.

"Here too, huh? Gimme a break." The blitz star shook his head exasperatedly, and then said. "I was expecting, you know, parades…and fireworks!"

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin," Braska laughed, before vanishing through the door.

Then Jecht and Past-Auron vanished, too, and Lulu said, "So, there are trials here, as well?"

Auron nodded in agreement, and then walked through the door, leaving the others to catch up. "Zanarkand has a Cloister of Trials, too?" Charlie groaned, smacking her forehead in disgust. "Give me a break! Weren't those three guardians bad enough?"


	33. Damnation

Chapter 33: Damnation

After a brief rest, the group entered Zanarkand's Cloister of Trials. Auron, who led the way, stepped out onto the tiled floor, and waited as everyone else gasped at the light that poured out of the floor. "What in the world was that?" Charlie asked, disturbed by the strange display.

"The Trial has begun," the swordsman replied as a screen on the far wall lit up, revealing colored blocks similar to a Tetris game. "We have to match the pattern that appears on the wall to unlock the way forward."

It took a while to figure out the tiles, but they finally managed it, and the walls opened up, revealing several pedestals and a door leading into another room, which turned out to be an even larger puzzle. In the middle of the room, however, were six empty panels surrounding a pit. "So I guess we have to solve more puzzles to get out of this room?" Rikku asked, while peering down the hole.

Auron nodded and returned to the previous room. He came back a few moments later, just as more blocks appeared on the wall, this time in a glyph-like pattern. "This is the same as the last room," he said, before anyone could ask him any questions.

The group fanned out across the room, stepping on various tiles in an attempt to awaken the floor, but had limited success. Meanwhile, Charlene walked up to the monitor, and peered at it closely. _"Hmm…I wonder what'll happen if I touch it?"_ she thought to herself as she reached out to it.

When her hand brushed the screen, it flickered brightly, and then she heard several loud exclamations from the others. "What is it?" she demanded, quickly turning around to see why everyone was yelling.

"Some of the tiles are glowing," Lulu said, pointing to a blue L-shaped tile nearby.

"What did you do?" Wakka wanted to know.

"I just touched the screen up here, that's all," Charlie replied with a shrug.

"Could you do it again, please?" Yuna asked.

"Sure."

The trial went much quicker after that, as only the necessary tiles lit up whenever Charlie touched the screen. Eventually, the six panels in the middle of the room lit up with the glyphs of the various temples of Yevon. "Wait," Auron said, halting everyone before they could get close to the pit. "There is something here."

"What?" Rikku yelped, looking around quickly. "Is it more of those memories?"

Before Auron could answer, the room vanished, replaced by a strange world of blue space full of floating symbols, and in the center of it were the six from the room in the real world. Suddenly, a huge fiend appeared in the middle of the glyphs, and Charlie felt the darkness within her stir at its presence. _**::Hello, cousin…::**_ the demon purred within her mind.

The fiend, a coral colored demon with a scorpion tail, forked wings, and extremely long arms tipped with hooked talons turned toward Charlie and let out a weird shrieking hiss. _::Ah…they let one of you back into the world?::_ the demonic fiend whispered in her head.

"_What the hell? Are you talking to me?"_

_**::No…he can't even hear **_**you**_**, Charlie…::**_

_::Whoever sent you picked a poor host if she is still in control of her body…::_ the fiend said, his voice full of contempt.

_**::She isn't from this world…::**_ the demon replied. _**::She can't even enter the Farplane! She'll give up eventually and then I'll own this body…::**_

_::Interesting…but it's too bad. I have my own orders, so I must destroy anyone who cannot defeat me…::_

"Charlie, pay attention!" Auron barked, snapping her out of the conversation.

With a jolt, the younger guardian returned to reality just in time to avoid being skewered by the fiend's tail. "What the hell is going on?" she yelled, furious at this unexpected battle. "I thought we beat all of the guardians already!"

"Apparently, this one didn't get the message," Lulu replied as she lobbed a Firaga spell at the demon-fiend.

The battle proved extremely difficult, as only people standing on the glyphs could strike the fiend, and only three people could stand on them at one time. To make matters worse, every hit made against it caused it to retaliate with a sweeping attack, using its elongated limbs to slash at the three glyphs in front of it. Then, as Charlie, Rikku, and Kimahri took a turn against the thing, two of the glyphs lit up, glowing an ominous shade of blue. One was off behind the fiend, but the other lay beneath Kimahri's feet. "Kimahri, watch out!" Rikku cried out.

Unfortunately, before the Ronso could do anything, the glyph exploded, sending him flying into the air before landing in a crumpled heap. _"Oh hell!"_ "Kimahri, are you all right?" Charlie called, after diving out of the way of the fiend's stinger again.

The Ronso didn't answer, and Rikku quickly traded places with Yuna so she could cast healing spells, and Charlie traded places with Wakka. Finally, once Kimahri was revived, Yuna turned her attention to the demon, raised her staff over her head, and shouted, "Holy!"

Suddenly, eight spheres of brilliant white light appeared, spinning around the fiend in a tight circle and rocketed skyward, only to rain down on the beast like a swarm of meteors. Shrieking in agony, the monster thrashed wildly, fell limp, and sank beneath the glyphs before exploding in a burst of blue light. Once it vanished, the real world returned, and an elevator rose from the hole in the floor. "Yuna…we're here," Auron said, turning to look at her.

"The Hall of the Final Summoning," Yuna said, mostly to herself.

"Go."

The summoner nodded, and then stepped onto the elevator and went down alone. As everyone waited, however, the room went dark, and Jecht's voice rang out from the past. "Huh? What do you mean no Final Aeon?" he said, sounding angry.

The lights came back on, and the elevator rose again, with a distraught Yuna still on it. "Sir Auron! Everyone!"

Without a word, the six guardians joined the summoner on the elevator and descended into the Chamber of the Fayth. The room looked like the one in Bevelle's temple; only the ceiling had partially collapsed, shattering the glass covering on the fayth statue. _"Something isn't right here…"_ Charlie mentally noted, staring at the statue with unease. _"The statue's supposed to sing, isn't it?"_

"This isn't a fayth," Yuna told everyone, shaking her head sadly. "This is just an empty statue."

Suddenly, the back wall of the chamber vanished in a burst of pale blue light, and the ghostly priest from before appeared. "That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," he calmly explained. "It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon…his soul is gone."

"Gone?" Wakka exclaimed.

"You mean there is no Final Aeon?" Rikku asked, looking confused.

"Fear not," the old man said, as if calming a small child. "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours." He stepped aside and pointed at the glowing blue light behind him. "Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits."

Having delivered his message, the ancient priest vanished, leaving the group to make their decision on their own. Yuna started toward it and Charlie said, "Hold on a moment, Yuna!" She then turned to Auron, and asked, "Auron, you knew about this, didn't you?"

"Yes," he calmly replied.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku demanded, shaking a fist at him.

"If I had told you the truth, would it have stopped you from coming?" he asked.

"Yuna," Kimahri began, turning to look at the summoner.

"I'm not going back!" she irritably replied.

"Kimahri knows this," the Ronso said. "Kimahri goes first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect."

Having said his piece, Kimahri walked through the wall of blue light, followed by Yuna, and then everyone else. The light led them to a large, lavishly appointed chamber that looked like it was once used for religious ceremonies. Scores of pyreflies floated near the ceiling, looking like living stars, and Charlie stared up at them, until Rikku yelped, "Someone's coming!"

Charlene turned to the staircase on the other end of the room as a ghostly woman with white hair and a metal bikini gracefully descended the stairs, stopping halfway down. _"She's been around for a thousand years, and still dresses like that?"_ Charlie thought, remembering the sphere of Zanarkand and Yunalesca at Seymour's house. _"Or did the stupid outfit rust so much that it won't come off?"_

"Lady Yunalesca," Yuna gasped, slightly awestricken by the ancient summoner.

"Welcome to Zanarkand," Yunalesca replied, nodding acknowledgement to the group. "I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek." She raised her arms in a grand gesture. "The Final Aeon…will be yours. Now choose…" She lowered her arms and walked down the stairs, gave Charlie a curious look, and then continued to speak. "You must choose the one whom I will change to be the fayth of the Final Summoning."

At that, everyone, except Auron, gasped, completely taken aback by such an announcement. _"How in the world can that even be possible?"_ Charlie thought, stunned.

"There must be a bond between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies," Yunalesca continued, ignoring everyone's amazement. "The bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends…if that light is strong enough, it will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago, I chose my husband, Zaon, as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon." She paused, smiling gently at Yuna. "There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of worry and pain, for once you call the Final Aeon, your life will end. Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path."

"_Death is final, all right,"_ Charlie thought, _"But if it's so great, then why is she clinging here instead of going off to the Farplane?"_

Before she could ask the question aloud, however, Yunalesca turned and walked away, and Jecht, Braska, and Auron of the past appeared in the chamber. "It is not too late!" Auron cried, his voice and expression full of anguish. "Let us turn back!"

"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin?" Braska asked, turning to face Auron. "Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?"

"But…my lord, there must be another way!"

"This is the only way we got now," Jecht said, cutting off his fellow guardian's protests. "Fine…make me the fayth. I've been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player…show him the view from the top, you know? But now I know there's no going home for me. I'm never gonna see him again. My dream's never gonna come true, so make me the fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska, then maybe my life will have meaning, you know?"

"Don't do this, Jecht!" Auron begged. "If you live, there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!"

"_Oh, Auron!"_ Charlie thought, fighting back tears as she watched the expressions on the faces of the two Aurons. _"I'm so sorry I ever thought you were heartless! You've lived with so much pain! How do you bear it?"_

"Believe me, I've thought this through," Jecht replied, shaking his head. "Besides, I ain't getting any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."

"Jecht," Braska began, only to have the guardian turn around and glare.

"What? You're not gonna try and stop me, too?"

"Sorry. I mean…thank you."

Jecht nodded, clapped Braska on the shoulder, and turned his attention back to Auron, "Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron. Guard him well. Make sure he gets there. Well, let's go."

Braska and Jecht started up the stairs, and Auron yelled, "Lord Braska, Jecht!"

"What do you want now?" the blitz star snapped.

"Sin always comes back," Auron pleaded. "It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue, and your deaths will mean nothing!"

"But there's always a chance it won't come back this time," Braska replied. "It's worth trying."

"I understand what you're saying, Auron," Jecht said. "I'll find a way to break the cycle."

"You have a plan?" Auron asked, slightly hopeful.

"Jecht?" Braska added, also curious.

"Trust me, I'll think of something," Jecht said, laughing as his and Braska's images faded.

The only image left was Younger Auron, and he shut his eyes and dropped to his knees, overwhelmed by grief. Auron of the present walked up behind the image, drew his sword, and sliced at it repeatedly, yelling in frustration and sorrow as he did so. Finally, the image faded, and Auron hung his head and said, "And the cycle went on."

Charlie walked up to Auron, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, "We're going to break it."

"How?" Wakka demanded. "What, you got a plan now?"

Lulu looked at Yuna, and said, "If one of us has to become a fayth, I volunteer."

"Me too, Yuna!" Wakka added.

"That's not going to stop it!" Charlie cried in exasperation. "Everything…all the pain, all the suffering…it'll start all over again, and you'll have just wasted your life!"

Wakka and Lulu both shook their heads at the younger guardian. "Charlie, listen to me," the blitzer said, "You wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive? You don't want Sin to come back? That is just not going to happen, you know?"

Lulu opened her mouth to add her thoughts, but Charlie interrupted her. "How do you know, Wakka?" she yelled, angry tears glittering in her eyes. "Sure, Operation Mi'ihen was a disaster, but in the thousand years since Sin appeared, hasn't anyone tried anything else?"

A long, pregnant silence ensued, broken only when Lulu finally spoke up. "Charlie, if there really was another way, don't you think someone would have found it by now?"

"Nothing has to change," she quietly replied, drawing startled looks from everyone. "Do you remember the day Wakka said that? He tossed it off so easily, but it's not true. If nothing changes, then the world will stagnate, and eventually rot. In my world, there's a saying: 'God helps those who help themselves.' Maybe your Yevon is the same way? Hell, why don't we ask Yunalesca? She's been here since Sin first appeared, so wouldn't she know something about it that the rest of us don't?"

"You really think she'll help you?" Rikku asked.

"It's better to go and find out than sit and wonder…don't you think?"

Yuna stepped forward and shook her head. "It would be so easy to let my fate carry me away…following the same path my whole life through, but I know…I can't." She looked at Charlie and said, "What I do…I do with no regrets."

The summoner then turned and walked up the stairs, and everyone quickly followed behind her. They walked through the door, and found themselves on an ancient balcony floating in space. Stars filled the sky and rocks orbited the platform like tiny planets, drawing everyone's attention until Yunalesca reappeared. "Have you chosen the one who will be your fayth?" she asked. Suddenly, she paused and stared at Charlie, her curious expression returning. "I was not sure before, but you…you cannot become a fayth," she announced, startling gasps out of everyone. "You do not belong here, yet you still exist. How is that possible?"

Charlie shrugged and said, "I really don't know, but if it makes you feel any better, the Farplane kicked me out for the same reason." _"Like I'd really volunteer to kill Yuna, anyway, you hateful cow!"_

The ancient summoner gave the young guardian a troubled look, then looked at the rest of the guardians and said, "The rest of you, however, can become fayth." She turned to Yuna, and asked, "Who will you choose?"

"Might I ask something, first?" Yuna inquired. When Yunalesca nodded, she continued, "Will Sin come back even should I use the Final Aeon to defeat it?"

"Sin is eternal," Yunalesca replied, as if to a small child. "Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin in its place…and thus, Sin is reborn."

"So that's why Jecht turned into Sin," Charlie said to herself. _"What does it do, pass the title around like a relay baton?"_

"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never-ending," Yunalesca continued, ignoring Charlie.

"Never-ending?" Wakka exclaimed, completely taken aback. "But…but…if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" the ancient summoner asked.

"This cannot be!" Lulu wailed. "The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"

"Hope is…comforting," Yunalesca explained with a pitying smile. "It allows us to accept our fate, no matter how tragic it might be."

'_That's wrong! Hope should be used to fight fate, not just lie there and let it run over the top of you!"_

Suddenly, Charlie felt a chill run down her spine and shivered as the ghostly image of the younger Auron passed through her and confronted the Yunalesca of the past.

"Where is the sense in all this?" Auron demanded, wildly brandishing his katana. "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

Past-Yunalesca smiled. "They chose to die…because they had hope."

Unable to take anymore, Younger Auron charged Yunalesca, his sword raised for a killing blow. Before it could connect, however, the ancient summoner raised her hand, and blasted him with burst of blazing orange energy. The bolt burned through his left shoulder and sent him flying through the air, only to land in a crumpled heap on the balcony floor. _"That blow…that's what made the scar I saw at the Mi'ihen Travel Agency!"_ Charlie realized in horror. _"There's no way he should have survived a blow like that…not without being crippled."_ She turned to look at Auron, and he nodded slightly, just enough for her to see. _"Auron didn't survive it…he died…and now he's an unsent!"_ Yunalesca started speaking again, and Charlie ignored it, holding back a burning rage that welled up in her heart. _"That bitch! She took his friends, forced him to watch them die, and then took his life! And now she wants to kill Yuna?"_

"Now choose…" Yunalesca said, finally catching Charlene's attention. "Who will be your fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"

There was a long pause, and then Yuna finally made her answer. "No one," she said, shaking her head. "I would have gladly died. I live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them…but no more! The Final Summoning…is a false tradition that should be thrown away."

"No," Yunalesca said, horrified at Yuna's response. "It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people…so they would forget sorrow."

"Wrong," Yuna replied. "My father…my father wanted…to make Spira's sorrow go away, not just cover it up with lies!"

"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try."

"My father…I loved him, so I…I will live with my sorrow. I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it'll be, but someday, I will conquer it, and I will do it without…false hope."

"You tell her, Yuna!" Charlie cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Yunalesca's eyes blazed, and her face twisted with rage for a moment, and then she calmed down and said, "Poor creature, you would throw away hope." Her hair darkened, and then changed into waving purple-black tentacles. "Well…I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair. Let me be your liberator."

Her hair-tentacles plunged into the floor beneath her, and pyreflies swarmed around her as she started transforming. Auron then shouted, "Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

"_Nice inspirational speech, Chief!"_ Charlie thought, snickering aloud.

"Yuna need Kimahri," Kimahri said, brandishing his spear. "Kimahri protect Yuna."

"Well, I'm fighting!" Rikku announced, taking up a battle stance.

"I can't believe we're gonna fight Yunalesca. Gimme a break!" Wakka groaned, readying for the fight.

"You can always run," Lulu suggested.

"Hah!" the blitzer scoffed. "I'd never forgive myself-no way! Not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya!"

Lulu smiled and nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Charlie shot Yuna a sidelong glance, and said, "Yuna, let's show her what real hope can do!"

The summoner nodded, and the battle began. At first, all Yunalesca did was fire off small bursts of magical energy, which did not cause much damage, but were impossible to dodge. She made no effort to evade any attacks made at her, though, so she was easy to defeat…at first. When Rikku charged forward to finish Yunalesca off, however, a dark wind surged up around the ancient summoner's body and pushed her away. "What's going on?" the Al Bhed yelled over the howling of the wind.

"How should I know?" Charlie replied, covering her face with her free arm. "Maybe we pissed her off?"

Suddenly, the wind died, and Yunalesca reappeared, now standing on a weird tentacle-platform out of everyone's reach, save Wakka and Lulu. Before anyone could make a move, however, several huge tentacles tipped with skulls erupted from the ground and lashed out at Charlie, Rikku, and Lulu, knocking them down and bludgeoning them. After a moment, the strange appendages retreated, and the three guardians got to their feet. "What the hell was that about?" Charlie growled, only to fall silent when she noticed her left arm.

Instead of its normal color, it was now a hideous shade of green mottled with red, just as Wakka's skin had been back in the last fight with Seymour. Panicked, she looked up at Lulu and Rikku and saw that their skin was the same color. "Holy hell! What is this?"

"A zombie curse," the black mage replied, blasting Yunalesca with a Waterga spell. "It's disgusting, and it causes Potions and healing magic to damage you."

As if to prove that point, Yunalesca cast Curaga on Rikku, causing the little thief to scream in pain. "You three get back!" Auron barked, as he, Kimahri, and Wakka stepped forward to take their places.

The lashing tentacles combined with Yunalesca's magic made the battle far more difficult, but eventually, the party managed to defeat her again. This time, the tentacle-platform rose higher, and then fell backward, as a huge, demonic woman's face burst out of the floor, surrounded by the hideous skull-tentacles. The face's acid-yellow eyes glowed brightly, and a wave of black and red energy blasted its way across the room and slammed into the group, knocking them off their feet. Charlie let out a growl of frustration, as her earlier rage bubbled up again. _"This bitch is really getting on my nerves!"_ she snarled as she got to her feet. She then noticed Auron standing alone against Yunalesca, hacking and slashing at the giant demon-face and its tentacles. _"Auron is trying to fight her alone…again…"_

Auron chopped off another tentacle, but as it fell, a huge gush of dark purple fluid flooded out of it, hitting Auron in the face and briefly blinding him. Instinctively, he stopped attacking and tried to scrub the blood away, but then another tentacle reached out, bit into his shoulder, and hauled him into the air. "You do not learn, do you, guardian?" Yunalesca asked as he struggled to free himself.

Auron responded by raising his sword and hacking at the tentacle holding him. The blow was not strong enough to sever the appendage completely, but it caused it to drop him on the floor, where the stump of another tentacle swatted him across the room. Yuna quickly ran to his aid, heedless of the other tentacles that swooped down on her. "Oh no, you don't!" Charlie screamed, diving in the way.

Yuna turned from healing Auron and saw Charlie standing in the way, with one tentacle biting into her left leg, while the other had the blade of the Brotherhood jammed through the roof of its mouth. "Charlie, are you okay?" Yuna asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

The guardian looked back at her, with eyes filled with red rage, and gave the summoner a feral grin, "Never better!"

She then jerked her sword out of the first tentacle's mouth, ripping off half of its face in the process, and then turned and chopped off the head of the other one before darting forward to engage Yunalesca directly. Charlene slashed wildly at the demon-face, ignoring the tentacles that lashed out at her. She did not battle alone for long, because Kimahri joined her, and together, the two of them managed to poke out the face's eyes, causing it and Yunalesca to shriek in pain. One by one, the others joined in, adding their own attacks to the fray, until finally, Auron rejoined the fight and stabbed the giant face between the eyes. The face screeched loudly, and then slumped sideways as its tentacles fell lifelessly to the floor. Then the whole thing erupted in a blaze of blood-red light and pyreflies, leaving a normal Yunalesca collapsed on the floor, gasping and struggling to breathe. "If I die, so does the Final Aeon," she panted, looking up at the group in desperation. "And with it, Spira's only hope."

"We'll find a new hope," Charlie spat, her rage subsiding but not completely gone. "One that doesn't involve needless death."

Yunalesca glared at her. "Fool. There is no other way. Even if there was…even if you destroy Sin…Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."

"Yu Yevon?" Charlie asked, taken aback. "Who is that?"

Instead of answering, Yunalesca's form faded, and she wept, "Ah…Zaon…forgive me. Spira has been robbed of the light of hope…all that remains is sorrow."

With that, she dissolved into a cloud of pyreflies and vanished. Yuna, her eyes wide with shock, whispered, "I cannot believe what we just did!"

"Well, she didn't give us much choice, really," Charlie said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Apparently, she didn't want people knowing the truth about the Final Aeon…and it makes me wonder how many other summoners she's killed to protect the secret."

"So what do we do now?" Rikku asked.

"We defeat Sin. Let's beat it and make sure it never comes back," Charlie answered. "I don't know how, yet, but we'll find a way to do it." _"And maybe we'll find out who the hell this Yu Yevon character is, while we're at it, because I get the feeling that he's the last piece of the puzzle."_


	34. Ghostwalker

Chapter 34: Ghostwalker

After Yunalesca's defeat, everyone exited the room, but Charlene froze as a curious feeling tugged at her soul. _"Wait, what? Is one of those weird discs here, too?"_ She looked around, and noticed a dusty old chest sitting near a set of stairs at the end of the balcony. Charlene quickly opened it, and found a gleaming gold disc within. It was decorated with many-rayed suns, and had the word "Shemesh" engraved near the edge. _"This looks like all the others…and I already have the other half!"_ She quickly reached inside her belt-pouch and pulled out the coin she received from Arietta. Curious, Charlene placed the coin inside the opening on the disc, and with a loud click and a flash of light, the two objects fused and became one. "Wow!" she exclaimed aloud. "If this one did this, will the others do this, too?"

Suddenly, her belt-pouch trembled violently, and when she reached inside it to find the source of the vibration, she pulled out the old map from Remiem Temple, which was now glowing faintly, as well as vibrating. Curious, Charlie opened the map, and noticed that the two astrological symbols that represented the sun were fading away, while another, larger symbol appeared on part of the Calm Lands. "What is this?" she wondered. "Does it mean that there's something located in that spot that relates to the sun? I wonder what it could be?"

…

Charlene hurried out the door to catch up to the others, and as she entered the chamber, the pyreflies near the ceiling vanished and the lights went out, causing everyone to gasp in surprise and pause, waiting to see if any enemies would appear. When none appeared, the group exited the room, except for Auron, who waited near the stairs. "We must talk," he said, when Charlie climbed down the stairs.

"I know," she sadly replied. "You're…not alive, are you? Yunalesca killed you."

Auron nodded. "When Braska and Jecht died defeating Sin…I just couldn't accept it. I came back here…tried to avenge them, but she struck me down. Somehow, I made my way, crawling down Mount Gagazet, but my strength left me just outside Bevelle." He paused, flinching at the memory of all the pain and grief he had endured. "That's where Kimahri found me. I told him about Yuna…just before I died. I've been wandering ever since, never going to the Farplane."

"That's why you were in so much pain when we visited the Farplane in Guadosalam, huh?" Charlie asked, trying her hardest to keep from weeping. _"God help me, I'm in love with a ghost!"_

Noticing her expression, Auron smirked, "Don't make that face. Being dead has its advantages. I was able to ride Sin and go to Zanarkand."

"So you could watch over Tidus," Charlie concluded. "Why did you do that, anyway? Was it a promise you made to Jecht?"

"Maybe it would be easier if I showed you," he replied, stepping back a couple of paces.

With that, Auron dropped to one knee, and then his body turned ghostly as several pyreflies drifted out of his body. Fascinated, Charlie crept closer, and then reached out to touch him, only to find that her hand went _through_ him, instead. Before she could withdraw her hand, however, an electric shock jolted through both of them, flinging them into a storm of images that fired through their minds...

…_Flash…_

Charlie stood in a small village that no longer existed, although she did not know why or how she knew that, and watched as a small, dark-haired boy with serious eyes said goodbye to his parents and leave with a priest to live in Bevelle. _"Aw…Auron was so adorable as a little kid!"_ Charlie thought, feeling a strange urge to hug the boy.

…_Flash…_

Auron stood in the middle of the street in a neighborhood he knew could not possibly exist on Spira, and watched a little black-haired girl holding a flower approach a little redheaded boy who sat on the sidewalk and wept. "Hi, I'm Charlie. What's your name?" the little girl asked, sitting down next to the boy. "How come you're so sad?"

"M-Marcus," the boy replied, hiccupping as he scrubbed at his tears. "My mommy died, and Daddy said we had to move here."

"I'm sorry. My daddy died, too," Charlie sadly told him, holding out her flower. "I was gonna give this to my Mommy, but I want you to have it."

…_Flash…_

Several years passed, and Charlene now stood in Bevelle Temple, watching a somewhat older Auron fight with a slightly chubby boy with brown hair and black eyes. It looked like they were trying to kill each other, until Auron punched the other boy in the nose, knocking him down and causing blood to fly everywhere. "Kinoc, are you okay?" Child-Auron yelled, rushing to his friend's aid.

"Yeah," the bloody-nosed Kinoc sheepishly replied. "You didn't have to hit me that hard, you know!"

…_Flash…_

Several years passed, and Auron watched the ten-year old Charlie and Marcus play kickball during recess. He did not know how he knew such strange terms, but he could not help but laugh a little when Charlie ran forward to kick the ball, missed, and fell flat on her butt. "Charlie, you're not supposed to fall down!" Marcus admonished, helping her to her feet.

Charlie, giggling despite her slightly wounded pride, said, "It's okay. I'm used to it. At least you're here to help me get up again."

…_Flash…_

More time passed, Auron was now sixteen years old, and he and Kinoc had made friends with a slightly younger boy named Braska, who had come to the temple as a White Mage trainee and prospective apprentice summoner. Quiet and studious, Braska did not seem like the type to cause trouble, but it turned out he dearly loved pranks and practical jokes, which he often used in an attempt to get the uptight Auron to smile, which, in turn, made Charlie smile.

…_Flash…_

More time passed, and Charlie was thirteen and, for some reason, refused to come out of her house. "What's wrong with you?" Marcus yelled up at her bedroom window, upset that his friend was avoiding him. "Why won't you come outside?"

Finally, Charlie opened her window, glared down at him with teary eyes and shouted, "I'm not coming out for five to seven days!"

"What? Why?" Marcus was confused.

Charlie paled, then looked around to make sure no one else was around, and muttered, "I'm not coming out, because…I got my period today…"

…_Flash…_

Some time later, a slightly older Auron walked down a secluded corridor with a female warrior-monk named Shandra. He turned to face her, and their lips met as they passionately embraced one another, and Charlie quickly turned away and vanished, her face flaming with embarrassment at catching such a personal moment.

…_Flash…_

Auron followed the now fifteen-year old Charlie through a different school as she walked to her next class with Marcus. Although she was oblivious to it, several other girls shot her very dirty looks, apparently jealous of her friendship.

…_Flash…_

Charlie hovered over Auron as Braska and a White Mage whose name she did not know fought to stabilize him. Even now, while the pain of Malboro venom wracked his body, he still cried out to Shandra, begging her not to go even though she was already dead.

…_Flash…_

Auron flashed forward through time, and appeared in a dark bedroom, where he found Charlie and Marcus making love for the first time. Just as quickly, he shot through time again, thinking, _"That is definitely not my business…"_

…_Flash…_

Charlie watched Auron glare balefully at Braska, who was currently forcing him to struggle his way through the Al Bhed language, with the intent that they practice together. "Why do I need to know this?" the swordsman groaned. "You're the one who wants to impress that Al Bhed girl, Leanna!"

"Because Kinoc wouldn't agree to it," Braska calmly replied, flipping through the language manual he had found. "Now let's try this again."

"_I didn't know Auron could speak Al Bhed,"_ Charlie thought as the scenery faded. _"Of course, I never actually asked him, either."_

…_Flash…_

Auron sat in the back seat of the car, as Marcus and Charlie headed out on an errand. Both teenagers seemed nervous, and when they stopped at a red light, Marcus started to ask Charlie a question, but he fell silent as the light changed. Slowly, they moved forward again, and Auron involuntarily flinched as another car crashed into them. Even though he knew he could do nothing for them, Auron got a closer look at their injuries, and he could tell that, while Charlie would survive, Marcus would not. Even though the boy was dying, however, he still reached out to Charlie, trying to help her.

…_Flash…_

Charlie found herself in the Bevelle Temple again, and stared confusedly at one of the High Priests. "So, have you considered my offer?" the priest asked, looking directly at her.

Confused, she turned around and found Auron standing behind her, looking uncomfortable. "Sir, I have thought about it, but with all due respect, I must decline," he quietly replied. "I do not even know your daughter, so it would not be fair of me to force her into a marriage she may not want."

The priest's eyes flashed angrily, but his expression remained placid as he smoothly said, "Of course. Very well, young monk. I shall leave you to your duties…may you have much joy of them."

With that, the priest stalked off, and Kinoc quickly came out of the next room. "What happened?" Kinoc asked, concerned. "What did you say?"

Auron closed his eyes and replied, "I told him no."

"Why?"

"Because it wasn't right."

Kinoc clapped his friend on the shoulder, and said, "I am sorry, but you know that Father Clement does not take rejection well."

"I know."

…_Flash…_

Auron stood in the school again, this time in the cafeteria. "It was all your fault!" a blonde girl hissed, piercing Charlie with a fierce glare. "Why couldn't you have died, instead, huh?"

"I…I d-didn't mean for it to happen," Charlie quavered, choking back tears.

"Save it for someone who cares, you murdering bitch!" snarled another girl, one with brown hair. "You killed him, you stupid whore, and you couldn't even take the time to go to his funeral, or apologize to his dad, could you?"

"I was in the hospital!" Charlie protested. "I couldn't go anywhere!"

"Yeah, right!" spat a boy, one of Marcus' teammates.

"Why don't you just go die, before you kill someone else?" suggested another.

Auron watched this and grew angry when he noticed that the two teachers in the room were ignoring the confrontation completely. _"These people…how could they even think something like that was _her_ fault?"_

"Bitch!"

"Whore!"

"Murderer!"

"You should have died instead of Marcus!"

Covering her ears, Charlie ran out of the cafeteria and into one of the bathrooms, where she locked herself into a stall and hid, weeping until her History teacher found her and called her mother.

…_Flash…_

Charlie watched as Auron tried to comfort Braska, who wept unashamedly at the death of his wife, Leanna. Fortunately, a neighbor, seeing how incapacitated the fallen summoner was, had agreed to take care of Yuna for the time being. Eventually, the tears stopped, and Braska looked up at Auron, a hint of madness in his eyes. "Auron, would you…be my guardian?" he asked.

"You know you needn't ask that," Auron replied. "I offered to be your guardian before, remember?"

…_Flash…_

Two years later, Auron looked around the cafeteria again, but this time, there was no confrontation. Instead, Charlie sat alone, slowly eating her lunch and ignoring the occasional glares shot at her by some of her classmates. Eventually, two boys joined her, one black, the other with carrot-red hair. "Keith, Johnny," she said, not really paying attention to the two of them.

"You have to talk to us sometime, Charlie," Keith, the black boy, said.

"Yeah, you're not the only pariah here, you know," Johnny, the redhead, added.

She looked up at them, her eyes blazing with barely-suppressed anger. "Maybe not, but you're only hated because you're either gay, or smarter than everyone else! I'm hated because I killed the class hero!" she snapped, tears slipping down her face.

"You didn't kill my cousin," Johnny quietly replied.

"That's right," Keith said. "That drunken asshole that's sitting in prison now did it."

"Yeah, well, you be sure to explain that to all the bastards and hatemongers around here for me, because I'm sick of it!" Charlie stood up, tears streaming down her face again. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't take it out on either of you. I'll see you after school."

With that, she stalked away, leaving the two boys behind. Keith sadly shook his head, looked up at Johnny, and said, "Did you know that her mom doesn't even know about any of this? Ever since everyone ambushed her in the cafeteria back in our sophomore year, she acts like everything's just hunky-dory when she's at home."

Johnny nodded sadly and replied, "I know. I think Charlie won't tell her that all this crap is still going on because she's afraid her mom will turn on her, too."

What neither of the boys realized that Charlene was still within earshot, and heard most of what they said.

…_Flash…_

Charlie hurtled forward through time, flashing through several images of Braska's pilgrimage, until she stopped and found herself in the chamber again, only this time with Auron, Braska, and Jecht. "Can I ask one last favor?" Jecht asked, giving Auron a pleading look. Suddenly embarrassed, the blitz star turned his back to the swordsman and said, "Uh…nah…never mind."

"Out with it!" Auron said, a little impatiently.

"Okay, listen good," Jecht replied, turning back around. "Take care of my son. My son, in Zanarkand…he's such a crybaby. He needs someone there to hold his hand, see? Take care of him, will you?"

"But how am I supposed to go to Zanarkand?" Auron asked, a note of desperation creeping into his voice.

Jecht laughed. "Hey, you said it yourself! There must be a way to get there. You'll find it."

Auron nodded, and replied, "All right, I will! I give you my word. I'll take care of your son. I'll guard him with my life."

"Thanks, Auron." Jecht smiled, walked over to the swordsman, and clapped him on the shoulders. "You always were such a stiff…but that's what I liked about you."

As the memory faded, Charlie finally realized she had been holding her breath and quickly exhaled. _"All those unspoken emotions hanging in the air…it's amazing they didn't smother anyone with them!"_ she thought as the storm rose up to reclaim her.

…_Flash…_

Auron flashed forward through rapid images of Charlie in Zanarkand, and then Spira, until they came to a halt in Seymour's quarters in Bevelle. Although he knew that this was only a memory, Auron watched in anger as Charlie called Seymour a monster, and the undead Guado told her she was just as bad, and lied to her about Yuna and the others, and "saving" Spira. When Seymour forced his kiss on her, however, Auron wanted to kill the maester again. Suddenly, the scenery blurred and flickered violently, and just before it faded, he caught a glimpse of something dark, hateful, and irredeemably evil glaring at him with glowing grey-violet eyes. _**"****MINE!"**_ it screamed, lashing out at the guardian.

Before it could connect, however, the memory faded, leaving Auron alone in the storm once again. _"What _was_ that?"_ the guardian wondered. _"I've never seen anything like that before."_

…_Flash…_

The two of them shared the memory of the night in the ravine, and felt an overwhelming wave of mutual desire wash over the both of them…

…_Flash…_

Charlene wrenched her hand back, and she and Auron both fell flat on their backs, their hearts racing as if they were about to burst. "Wh-what in holy cheese was that?" Charlie panted, struggling to sit up.

"When you touched me, it triggered a memory-storm," Auron replied, his face paler than usual. "Apparently, when I become a spirit-form, we are able to share each other's memories."

"Yeah, but did it really have to go back to that night in the ravine?" Charlie blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Apparently, it is a powerful memory," Auron sardonically replied, "…for both of us."

Charlene felt the blood rushing to her face and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Auron was already on his feet, and offering her a hand. She took it, and he hauled her up, quickly letting go as an echo of that last memory flickered through them again. "Let's get out of here before everyone starts looking for us," she suggested, rushing out of the room. _"Great! He's a ghost and I'm an alien, and I love him, and apparently, he cares for me, too!"_ she mentally complained. _"As if this wasn't complicated enough!"_

Auron watched her leave, and unsuccessfully suppressed the urge to look at her backside as she departed. Shaking his head, he followed her. _"That boy…Marcus…she obviously loved him. And he loved her, too,"_ he thought as he exited the room. _"And after he died, all those people hurt her, and she keeps it bottled up in an attempt to protect herself, and not bother everyone else. It's no wonder she's afraid to show anything; she's afraid everyone will reject her if she does…"_

…

Leaving Zanarkand proved much easier than entering, as no fiends or rogue memories emerged to bother the party. When they finally made it out of the building, the sun had just risen, and Sin stared down at the group, eclipsing the morning light. As the party waited to see what it would do, the titanic beast focused its eyes on Charlie, and let out a strange growl filled with the screams of countless people. The young woman looked back at Sin, and felt that alien consciousness brush against her mind, both upset and curious. "Jecht?" she softly replied, confused by the welter of emotions she received. "Yes, the Final Aeon is gone, but if you'll just give us a little more time, we'll think of a better way."

Apparently satisfied with that, Sin turned and walked away, passing by Cid's airship without so much as a second glance. As the machina drew closer, Charlie let out a sigh of relief and thought, _"Perfect! We can't leave this crazy place fast enough!"_


	35. Return to Bevelle

Chapter 35: Return to Bevelle

After everyone boarded the airship, they headed for the bridge, where Brother and Cid gave them expectant looks. "Frana du huf?" Brother demanded. (Where to now?)

No one answered him. Cid gave everyone looks of disgust, and said, "Well, aren't we the happy lookin' bunch."

"Frana, frana?" Brother repeated, annoyed by everyone ignoring him.

"'Where, where?' Is that all you can say?" Rikku peevishly replied. "Why don't you think of something?"

Charlene winced, feeling a little sorry for the tattooed Al Bhed, before turning her attention to Auron. "You have any ideas?" she asked.

"What do we know…" the swordsman answered. "Sin is Jecht. For some reason, Jecht responds to you, thus you have a link…a bond with Sin. That may be our key."

"And what do we do with that?" Charlie uneasily replied, not liking the idea of a bond with a monster.

"We think and we wait," Auron said, walking away.

Charlie watched him leave, but made no move to follow him. _"Think and wait? Do I look like I know what to do with the so-called 'bond' I have with Sin? Of course not!"_

Just then, Yuna, who had been hanging back during the discussion, walked to the front of the bridge, where Cid watched her, a dumbfounded look on his face. Without saying a word, she bowed deeply, but when she looked up, her uncle had turned his back toward her. With a sorrowful sigh, the summoner turned and left the bridge, Kimahri following behind her. _"That was really uncalled for!"_ Charlie thought, her angry gaze burning against the Al Bhed leader's back. _"He was all gung-ho about saving her earlier, but now he won't even look at her."_

Suddenly, she heard a small sniffle, and after looking at everyone on the bridge, realized that the sound came from Cid. _"Oh my…now I feel bad! He just didn't want her to see him cry, that's all."_

…

Charlene wandered the various decks of the airship, really wanting to find somewhere to lie down, but searching for Yuna instead. Eventually, she found her with Kimahri on the elevator deck, staring out the window as the clouds whipped by. "I'm no good at all," Yuna sighed, not turning around.

"What do you mean by that?" Charlie asked, horrified that her friend would talk about herself that way. _"That's usually my line, anyway!"_

"All this time, I've been thinking about how to defeat Sin," she said, turning around. "But, I…beyond the teachings of Yevon, I know nothing." She sadly hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"_Why are you sorry?"_ Charlie wondered.

Before she could voice her question, however, Kimahri shook his head and said, "Yuna, no apologies."

"Huh?" Yuna was confused.

"Apology is running," the Ronso explained. "Yuna never run away."

Yuna looked up at her companion and smiled. "Thank you, Kimahri."

Charlie grinned, happy for her friend, but quickly grew serious again as she turned toward the Ronso. "Hey, Kimahri…do you have any theories on what we should do now?"

"Yevon's teachings," Kimahri replied.

"_Yeah, like that's really helpful,"_ Charlie thought, biting her lip to keep the retort quiet.

"The teachings won't help us fight Sin," Yuna protested.

"No answer in the teachings," Kimahri said. "Answers lie outside. Must know both sides to find answer."

"Both sides…" the summoner trailed off, her expression thoughtful.

"Mika knows much," the Ronso added. "Find him, make him talk."

Charlie gaped like a landed fish. "Holy crap, that's an awesome idea!" she shouted, hugging Kimahri.

Kimahri grunted, but smiled, and Charlene bolted back to the bridge, eager to tell everyone about the Ronso's brilliant idea. As soon as the doors to the bridge opened, however, Wakka jumped out in front of her and yelled, "Hey, I just had this great idea!"

Startled, Charlie shrieked and stumbled backward, bumping into the door. The door opened again, and she continued falling, tumbling into the corridor and landing at Auron's feet. Auron said nothing, and Charlie couldn't see his face from her position on the floor, but she just knew he was silently laughing at her. He extended his hand, and she took it, quickly getting to her feet and turning to glare at Wakka as he poked his head through the door. "You okay?" the blitzer asked, concern warring with amusement.

"No!" Charlie snapped, continuing to glare. "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry," he muttered, stepping back so she could re-enter the bridge.

"I guess I forgive you," Charlie replied with a long-suffering sigh. "So what are you so excited about?"

Wakka opened his mouth, but Rikku interrupted him. "It was my idea!" she said, pushing him out of the way. "Let me tell her."

Charlene fought down the urge to laugh as Wakka and Rikku squabbled like children. Before either of them could announce their big revelation, however, Lulu said, "The Hymn is the key."

Wakka blinked in confusion for a moment, and then let out a disappointed groan, while Rikku stuck her tongue out at Lulu. "The Hymn of the Fayth?" Charlie asked, trying to ignore Wakka and Rikku's antics.

Lulu nodded. "Sir Jecht likes the Hymn, correct?"

"Auron said he does," Charlie replied with a shrug.

"Hey, that's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" Rikku said, rejoining the conversation.

"Sin…violence incarnate, listening peacefully," Lulu said, her crimson eyes thoughtful.

"So you think we should use the Hymn to calm Sin?" Charlie asked.

"Well, if we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."

"Yeah, and then we'll make our move," Wakka chimed in. "Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya?"

"Yeah!" Rikku added exuberantly. "It could really work!"

"Well, let's try it," Charlie said, impressed with the plan. _"I really hope it will work!"_

_**::You know it won't…::**_ the demon within cackled. _**::**__**We're going to kill everyone, so no one will fight Sin…::**_

…

After Charlene related Kimahri's idea, everyone showed a good deal of enthusiasm for the plan, but even by airship, Bevelle was still a few days away. Thankfully, the Al Bhed had finished clearing out the numerous rooms on the ship, so there was plenty of space for everyone, which meant Charlie could finally take the bath she had been desperately craving. Unfortunately, it left with plenty of time to herself, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the voice of the shadow lurking within her. She tried sleeping, but after waking up several times every night due to nightmares, she gave up and started wandering the halls of the ship. Charlie walked for nearly an hour, lost in thought, when she rounded a corner and bumped into Rin, who was also roaming the halls. "Rao, fydlr frana oui yna kuehk!" he yelped indignantly. (Hey, watch where you are going!)

"I'm sorry," Charlene quickly replied. "I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, so I didn't see you."

"That's quite all right," Rin said, giving Charlie a curious look. "Why are you walking around at this hour?"

"I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly. "What about you?"

"I have only just finished cataloging the last of my goods that survived the destruction of Home."

"All by yourself?" Charlie looked astonished.

"It was not as difficult as it sounds," he laughed. "I keep most of my inventory in the various shops across Spira, that way the loss of an item in one place does not mean the loss of the entire supply."

"I guess that makes sense," Charlie sighed. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have anything that would help me sleep, would you?"

Rin eyed her thoughtfully, and then pulled off the satchel he carried slung over his back, and pulled out a tiny pouch of shimmering lavender powder. "This is Dream Powder," he explained, noticing her puzzled expression. "When brewed into a tea, it helps the drinker sleep dreamlessly, and with no ill effects. It is very hard to come by, however, so I only have enough for one night."

"That's fine with me," Charlene said. "All I need is one night of decent sleep, and then I can figure something out later. How much is it?"

Rin quoted a price, and after a few minutes of haggling, Charlie handed over some Gil, and took the little bag of Dream Powder. "Thanks," she told him.

"Ev drana ec yhodrehk E lyh ramb oui fedr eh dra vidina, zicd ycg," the merchant replied with a smile. (If there is anything I can help you with in the future, just ask.)

Charlie smiled back. "E ys eh ouin tapd!" (I am in your debt!)

Rin laughed aloud, and then said, "Jano kuut, Charlie! Oui ryja famm maynhat uin duhkia." (Very good, Charlie! You have well learned our tongue.)

She nodded. "Ayco, uhla oui ghuf dra dnelg!" She paused, and then added, "Uv luinca, ed tuac ramb frah oui ryja cusauha didunehk oui." (Easy, once you know the trick. Of course, it does help when you have someone tutoring you.)

"Rikku? E druikrd cra sekrd, cehla cra zuehat ouin knuib." (I thought she might, since she joined your group.)

"Cra fyc y kuut daylran," Charlie said. (She was a good teacher.)

Rin smiled again, and then dug around in the satchel, pulling out a small object. He handed it to Charlie and said, "Rana, y bnacahd du luhknydimyda ouin cillacc." (Here, a present to congratulate your success.)

She took the item and looked at it. It was a coin just like the one she found in Zanarkand. However, where the first one was made of gold, this one was made of a dark, silvery metal. Like the first coin, this new one had a symbol engraved in it, but of a circle with a cross on the bottom, and a small pair of horns on the top. _"This symbol…it's the symbol for Mercury!"_ "Where did you get this?" Charlie asked, slipping back into the common speech in her surprise.

"I found it out in the desert when I was younger," Rin replied with a shrug. "I kept it as a good luck charm, but I think you may find a better use for it."

"Dryhg oui!" she said, giving the merchant a quick hug before darting back to her room. (Thank you!)

…

The next day, after combining the Mercury coin with its disc, and finally getting a good night's sleep, Charlie felt a lot better as she and the others prepared to reenter Bevelle. Once they arrived, however, she immediately grew irritated, as several warrior monks approached, rifles drawn and ready to fire. "Infidel!" one monk screamed, his voice shaking with rage.

"Man, don't these guys ever give up?" Wakka wondered, shaking his head in disgust.

"You'll regret showing your face here!" hissed another guard.

"We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!" yelled a third.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Charlie demanded, her tone dripping with disdain. "Don't you morons have anything better to do?"

"If they want a fight, let's give 'em one," Rikku suggested as she readied her claw.

The monks' hateful expressions darkened further, and the one who had spoken first yelled, "Prepare to charge!"

"Stop!" a new, familiar, voice shouted, halting the battle before it could begin. Everyone, except for the monks, wore various looks of astonishment as Shelinda, of all people, approached them.

"Captain?" the second monk said, confused by her order.

"_Captain?"_ Charlie mentally yelped. _"Is Yevon so hard-up for military leaders that they had to promote the walking doormat?"_

"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed," Shelinda announced, to everyone's amazement. "She's no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed."

"What?" Rikku shrieked, clearly appalled.

"That's the biggest bunch of crap I've ever heard!" Charlie snarled. _"How does she spout all that BS without choking?"_

"Maester Mika himself told me," Shelinda explained, ignoring the dirty looks Rikku and Charlie sent her.

"Then…what are we to do?" the third soldier asked rather plaintively.

"Stand down!" Rikku said, frantically waving her hands.

"As she says," Shelinda nodded.

After a long, tense moment, the warrior monks back down and walked away, clearly confused by what just happened. Once they were gone, Rikku turned to Shelinda and asked, "What was that about evil Al Bhed?"

"I…truly, I do not understand it myself," Shelinda answered, apparently in a state of confusion, herself. "All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"

"Short on believers?" Auron smirked.

"Yes," the nun sadly replied, "the chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined. It's horrible, and all the priests do is blame each other! I worry what will become of Yevon." She started to cry, but steeled her resolve and shook her head. "No! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right?" Then, she looked at Yuna and said, "Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."

"Um…that's nice and I'm happy for you," Charlie interrupted, "but we came to see Maester Mika. Do you know if he's here?" _"Or if the ancient old fart finally collapsed into dust?"_

"Yes," Shelinda nodded. "I shall arrange an audience." She started to leave, but then turned around and added, "Please go wait in the courtroom."

As she left, Rikku shouted, "Hey, hey, wait! What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?"

"Simple," Auron said, walking past her. "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."

"Oh…okay," the little thief sadly replied.

"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Lulu wondered, her crimson eyes flashing angrily.

"I don't know, but I think we need to teach him a lesson," Charlie grimly replied.

"Yes, let's," Yuna added, gripping her staff tightly.

…

The seven of them arrived in the courtroom, and a few moments later, Maester Mika appeared, looking rather frazzled and worried. "Why are you here?" he demanded roughly. "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"

"I hate to rain on your parade, but Yunalesca's gone," Charlie told him.

"We fought and defeated her," Yuna said.

"What?" the undead maester cried, aghast.

"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more!" Auron replied, with an expression full of savage triumph.

"You have profaned and subverted a thousand year-old tradition?" Mika all but shrieked. "Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Not necessarily," Charlie told him. "We think we've got another way…one that doesn't require the Final Aeon."

"Preposterous! There is no other way!" Mika spat.

"The Grand Maester, running away?" Auron asked sarcastically, glowering fiercely.

"_Of course he's running away, like a rat on a sinking ship."_ Charlie thought, looking first at Mika, and then at Auron's startling expression. _"And Auron looks like he'd dearly love to kill Mika, if he wasn't already dead._ _Of course, I can't really blame him, since the old bastard's been in charge for fifty years, and most likely knew about it the whole time."_

"Spira has lost its only hope," the maester sadly replied, his form beginning to fade. "Destruction is inevitable. Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It won't die!" Yuna said determinedly.

"Who is this Yu Yevon guy, anyway?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him," Lulu said, her expression thoughtful.

"Wait gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" Rikku demanded.

"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor…an armor called Sin." Mika faded a little more, and his pyreflies began to drift out of him. "Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible, and the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now!"

Before anyone else could ask another question, the Grand Maester faded completely, and his pyreflies drifted away. "Disappear on us, will ya?" Wakka growled, shaking his fist. "Rotten son of a shoopuf!"

"_So…did he send himself to the Farplane, or what?"_ Charlie wondered. _"And they based their religion around the guy that's destroying everything? Who the hell came up with that brilliant idea?"_

Before she could ask her questions aloud, however, Shelinda entered the courtroom, looked around, and then asked, "Where…where is the Grand Maester?"

Yuna started to stammer out a response, but Auron interrupted her. "He's not here yet," the swordsman snapped, a hint of a growl in his voice. "How long must we wait?"

Shelinda tilted her head to the side in confusion, and said, "That's odd…I'll go look for His Grace."

With that, she hurried out of the room, but before Charlene could say anything about Auron's acting skills, Bahamut appeared before her. "What are you doing here?" she whispered, bewildered by the little fayth's sudden appearance.

"Come to my room," he replied.

"Okay," Yuna replied, stepping beside Charlie and nodding.

"You see him, too?" Charlie asked.

Before the summoner could answer, however, Bahamut vanished, and Wakka asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Umm…the invisible man?" Charlie suggested.

Wakka blinked; confused by her random answer, but before he could ask if she was crazy, Yuna said, "I must go see the fayth."

Auron stared at Charlie, then at Yuna, and, with an unreadable expression, replied, "I see."

…

The party's second trip to Bevelle Temple's Chamber of the Fayth was a lot easier than the first, since everyone already knew how to solve the puzzles, so it wasn't long before Yuna and Charlie stood inside the chamber, waiting for Bahamut to appear. The little fayth appeared, hovering above his statue, smiled, and said, "Hello."

"I must thank you for the aeon," Yuna replied, bowing respectfully.

Charlene wanted to thank him for letting her touch his aeon-form, but she didn't know how to voice it without sounding like a pervert, so instead, she said, "You called us all the way down here, so it must be something important, right?"

"Have you found a way to truly defeat Sin?" Bahamut asked, cutting to the chase.

"Umm…we thought about using the Hymn of the Fayth, but Yunalesca and Mika have both mentioned someone called Yu Yevon, so I guess we need to deal with him?" Charlie phrased it as a question.

Bahamut nodded. "Yes, if you defeat Yu Yevon, it will end." He paused, looked at the two girls thoughtfully, and then said, "Tell me, what do you know about Yu Yevon?"

"Apparently, he keeps bringing Sin back," Charlie replied with a shrug.

"Sin is his armor," Yuna added. "It protects him."

"Yu Yevon was once a summoner, long ago," the fayth said. "He was peerless. Yet now he lives for one purpose: only to summon. He is neither good, nor evil. He is awake, yet he dreams, but…maybe not forever."

"Because we're going to put a stop to it," Charlie said determinedly. _"At least, I hope we are."_

"Yes, even if you defeat Sin with the Final Summoning, Yu Yevon will live. Yu Yevon will join with the Final Aeon, transforming it into a new Sin."

"Yu Yevon merges with the aeon…" Yuna said, her expression thoughtful.

"Then, protected by this new Sin he has created, Yu Yevon continues the summoning," Bahamut said, following Yuna's train of thought.

"And it goes on forever, right?" Charlie concluded.

Bahamut nodded, and then said, "But you know, there is no such thing as forever if you end it, is there?" Charlie nodded, and the fayth then turned his attention to Yuna. "Yu Yevon lives inside Sin. Yuna, when you fight Yu Yevon, we will help you." He gave her a pleading look. "Promise me you'll summon us. I'm afraid your swords and magic won't be enough. Please, call us…promise?"

"_What do you know?"_ Charlie thought, slightly amused and touched by Bahamut's plea. _"After all this time, he's still a little kid at heart."_

"Yes," Yuna said, much to the fayth's relief.

Bahamut smiled, and then turned back to Charlie. "You know, when it's all over, that we will wake, and our dream will end. Our dream will vanish."

"I bet you'll be glad to get some rest, huh?" she replied.

He nodded. "Charlie, we're sorry we dragged you into this, but we're proud of you, too."

"Huh? Really?" Charlie was confused.

"Yes," the little fayth's eyes twinkled mischievously. "You've done very well for a substitute. In the beginning, we were afraid you'd never make it this far."

"Ha ha, very funny," she muttered, as Bahamut disappeared.

Once he vanished, the two girls started to leave, but Charlie froze when she heard the fayth's voice in her mind. _::Charlie…when do you plan on dealing with your uninvited guest?::_

"_I'm dealing as best I can right now!"_ she snapped, a headache starting as said 'guest' began protesting Bahamut's presence in her mind. _"In case you haven't noticed, we've been rather busy."_

_::Oh? You weren't very busy when you were sitting in that airship for almost a week on your way here,::_ Bahamut retorted. _::The barriers Yojimbo and I gave you will only last for so long, you know.::_

"_Yes, we've established that. I'm working on it. It's easy for you to say, you creepy little dragon-specter. You're not the one that has to actually explain it to everyone while they look at you like you're some kind of freak or moron!"_

The fayth let out a deep sigh of disgust. _::Well, if you _don't_ tell them, you're not going to be able to go home with it still there, even if it doesn't take over before you defeat Sin.::_

Charlie hissed aloud in annoyance, not noticing Yuna watching her strangely. _"Okay, suppose I do tell everyone right now? Is someone going to automatically have an answer for this?"_ When Bahamut didn't answer, she continued, _"No? Then what do you suggest we do? Lock me in the brig, or whatever passes for one? Have someone execute me? Who would do that? Auron? Kimahri? I could always kill myself, but the damn monster would probably be able to stop me by now."_

Bahamut felt Charlie's despair, and relented. _::I'm sorry. I don't have an answer for you…but you have to do something, soon, or you'll be lost.::_

"All right already, you broken record!" Charlie cried aloud, rolling her eyes. Then she noticed Yuna watching her. "Um…is something the matter?"

"You were talking to yourself," her friend said, her expression one of worry. "And you've been so tired lately. Charlie, what's wrong?"

Charlene winced, and determinedly ignored Bahamut's smug presence in the back of her mind. "Well…ever since the 'trial' the maesters put us on…"

_**::She'll kill you if you tell her, you know…::**_ the demon hissed. _**::She'll summon one of those worthless aeons and crush you like a bug…::**_

_::No, she won't!::_ Bahamut snapped, _::Charlie, tell her, please!::_

The fayth and the demon clashing within her mind instantly intensified the newborn headache, and Charlie dropped to her knees, holding her head and moaning in agony as her vision began to fill up with grayish-white static. Apparently, neither side noticed the pain they were causing, which only continued to increase as they snarled at each other. Finally, she screamed, "Both of you just shut the fuck up!"

Her yell filled the tiny space of the Chamber, and the force behind it startled both Bahamut and the demon into silence, as well as frightening Yuna. Charlie knew none of this, because as soon as both of the presences in her mind retreated, she collapsed into blissful unconsciousness.

…

When Charlene awoke, she was back in the room just outside the Chamber of the Fayth, and her head still hurt abominably. "What in Spira happened in there?" Lulu demanded, her expression cool despite the anger flashing in her eyes.

"Migraines," Charlie groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Monster headaches. I got 'em when I was in Yojimbo's Chamber, and when we were in Remiem, too." _"Not exactly a lie…I did have a headache after both of those places…"_

"You didn't scream and scare everyone those times," Wakka stated, frowning.

"We weren't there as long, either," Charlie replied, wincing as the room's light stabbed into her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." _"Unless my head explodes, or the stupid shadow-thing takes over."_

"Who were you screaming at in there?" Rikku wanted to know. "You sounded pretty mad."

"People say or do weird things when they're in a lot of pain," Charlie said, getting to her feet and turning to look at Auron. "Like I said, I'll be fine. Can we just drop this for now?"

Auron gave her a look that promised a very long and lengthy discussion later, and then nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

…

The group left the temple, and were about to leave, when Shelinda approached them, a look of distress on her face. "I'm sorry, but the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found," she told them, glancing at Auron as if he might bite her.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie told her, rubbing the side of her head, which still hurt quite a bit despite the fact Yuna had healed the worst of the pain. "We're about to leave anyway."

Suddenly, Rikku brightened, apparently stricken by a brilliant idea. "Hey, maybe you can help us with the Hymn!"

"_What?"_ Charlie thought, her eyes wide with surprise. _"Rikku, what is the doormat going to do?"_

"We need you to tell as many people as you can," the Al Bhed continued, unaware of her friend's astonishment.

"What should I tell them?" Shelinda asked curiously.

Rikku thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth. When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along."

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka chimed in, looking excited.

"I'm not sure I understand," Shelinda said, confused by the request.

"_Well, there's a shocker!"_ Charlie thought, rolling her eyes.

"You don't have to!" Rikku said, waving her hands emphatically. "Just tell everyone."

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" the nun asked, apparently wanting to make sure she got the message right. "So when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?"

"Yep!" the Al Bhed replied. "If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!"

"Truly?"

"Yes," Yuna assured her.

'That's wonderful!" Shelinda joyfully cried. "You can count on me! I shall tell all of Spira!"

Before anyone could say another word, the ecstatic nun bolted off to begin her quest. "You know…" Charlie said, scratching her head. "She can't do it all by herself. We should probably help her out by spreading the news to the villages."

"I agree," Yuna said with a nod. "I would also like to revisit the fayth, and search for the rest of the aeons."

The two girls looked at Auron, who remained silent for a long moment, and then chuckled and said, "As you wish."


	36. Detour

Chapter 36: Detour

Once the group left Bevelle, they boarded the airship and headed to the bridge to plan their next move. "I would like to head back to Besaid and speak with Valefor, first," Yuna told everyone. "She is my first aeon, after all."

"That's fine with me," Charlene replied, nodding along with everyone as they agreed with Yuna's request. "I've got a question, though."

"Yes?" Yuna asked, cocking her head slightly.

"You want to get the rest of the aeons, right? I know there's one in Remiem Temple, but what about others, like that Anima one Seymour had. Does anyone know where it is?"

Silence ensued, and for a long moment, Charlie feared that no one knew anything about where the aeon was located. Finally, Auron opened his mouth and said, "Baaj Island."

"How in Spira do you know that?" Lulu asked, as everyone, except Kimahri, turned to look at Auron as if he had suddenly sprouted an extra head.

"Because that's where she was when Braska met her," the swordsman calmly replied.

"Yeah and how did he find her?" Charlene demanded. Auron gave her a rather piercing glare, and she quickly added, "I only ask because I seriously doubt you or Braska just randomly decided to go to this Baaj place."

Auron continued to glower a moment longer, and then answered, "We met Belgemine in Luca, after traveling to Kilika and Besaid, and she said that the fayth had been sent there. At the time, I did not think it was a good idea to go, but Jecht wanted to go and Braska agreed." He paused and shook his head in remembered exasperation. "Fortunately, we were able to find a way into the temple without fighting the large fiend that swam near there."

"We'll probably have to fight it now," Rikku said, a serious expression replacing her normally cheerful one. "The island's been sinking ever since Sin wrecked it, so most of the entrances are underwater now."

"_Underwater?" _Charlie thought about it for a moment, and then felt her jaw drop. "Wait…are you saying that Anima is in that wreck you found me in when I first came to Spira?"

"Yep."

Charlie slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned. "Wonderful!"

"What is it?" Yuna inquired, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I actually met that large fiend Auron was talking about. It looked like a giant gorilla-fish-squid, and it almost swallowed me whole!"

Wakka clapped Charlie on the shoulder and said, "Don't get so down. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and won't have to fight that thing."

She sighed as Cid set the coordinates, and replied, "I hope you're right, Wakka."

…

Baaj Island was just as Charlie remembered it: dark, dreary, and stormy. As the rest of the party explored the ruins, she could not help but look down at the water beneath them, a nervous expression clear for anyone to see. "Don't worry," Rikku told her calmly. "We're all a lot stronger now, so I'm sure that we can handle that fish-monster you saw."

Before the older girl could reply, Lulu loudly announced, "It looks like the only entrance remaining is under the water, just as Rikku said. Yuna and I can make it so everyone else can breathe underwater temporarily, but I think it'd be best if Wakka, Rikku, and Charlie go first to take out any fiends, since they're the best at underwater fighting."

"Oh, joy!" Charlie groaned, smacking her palm against her forehead.

"Is that a problem?" Lulu demanded, glowering dangerously at the younger woman.

"No, no…there's no problem at all."

Without another word, Charlene dove into the water, quickly followed by Wakka and Rikku, and the three of them slowly made their way across the sunken plaza. They were almost at the entrance, when a loud, gurgling roar rang out behind them, and they managed to scatter just as a massive armored fin lashed out into the space they had previously occupied. _"Oh great!"_ Charlie mentally groaned, recognizing the fin and the monster that owned it. _"I guess it was too much to hope that Fishzilla had died since I was here last."_

After evading the monster's initial attack, Wakka launched his blitzball at it, stunning it long enough for Rikku to dart in and slash at it with her claw. Unfortunately, the fiend's armor plating negated most of the damage, leaving only the faintest of scratches where the weapon struck it. Charlie quickly joined in the fight, and she, Wakka, and Rikku quickly got into a pattern of darting around the much slower fiend and attacking or distracting it, as needed. Though they managed to injure the creature severely, they also managed to enrage it, and it let out another roar, before turning on Wakka and swallowing him whole. _"Oh God! Wakka, no!"_ Charlie thought, fighting down the urge to shriek and accidentally drown herself.

Rikku quickly swam over to Charlie and pointed back at "Fishzilla", who had turned toward the two of them and started lashing out with its fins again. In between strikes, however, both girls noticed that Wakka was clearly visible inside the large, bony cage that made up the creature's stomach, and he did not look happy. _"We have to get him out of there before he runs out of air, or gets digested, but how the hell are we supposed to do that?"_

Before Charlene could ponder the problem too long, Wakka began working on his own method of escape by thrashing wildly and kicking at fiend's innards. "Fishzilla" obviously did not care for that, as it started flailing its luminescent tentacles, and then shuddered mightily, before violently vomiting Wakka back into the sea. The force of the ejection was so strong, however, that it sent the blitzball captain crashing into a nearby pillar, where he slowly sank toward the bottom after impact. Charlie and Rikku both wanted to rush to Wakka's aid, but the aquatic fiend furiously resumed its attack, leaving them no time to do anything other than dodge and try to retaliate. Unfortunately, the monster managed to deal a couple of heavy blows in quick succession, knocking the two remaining guardians into the seafloor and kicking up a huge cloud of silt.

When Charlie hit the bottom, pain screamed through her body, but she managed to hang onto consciousness, as well as her sword. She opened her eyes and looked around, mostly blinded by the silt clouding up the water, but managed to catch sight of the aquatic beast as it barreled toward her. Unable to get out of the way, all Charlie could do was raise her sword and slash at "Fishzilla" as it snapped at her with its huge jaws. Fortunately, her blade managed slice open the tender flesh toward the back of the monster's mouth, and it quickly backed away, shrieking wildly as its inky blood poured into the water. Charlene used the distraction to swim away quickly, heading to the surface for air, and hoping that Rikku and Wakka were still alive.

Unfortunately, "Fishzilla" did not stay distracted for long, and began chasing Charlie again. She did not realize this, however, as she reached the surface and began gasping for air. The young guardian looked up and saw Auron, Kimahri, Yuna, and Lulu staring down at her. Before anyone could say or do anything, however, the water around Charlene started churning violently, and "Fishzilla" burst out of the murky depths and swallowed the young guardian whole. The fiend's moment kept it moving upward, and it actually managed to leap out of the water for an instant, allowing everyone to see Charlie thrashing around inside its ribcage before it crashed back into the sea. "Charlie, no!" Yuna cried, her eyes wide with horror.

As the creature dove underwater again, Charlene fought the urge to scream and tightened her grip on her sword. _"What do I do? What do I do?"_ she thought, as her panicked mind ran around in circles. _"Oh my god, I'm gonna die!"_

_::Charlie, calm down,::_ a strange voice said, as time suddenly slowed, then stopped.

"_Who the hell is this?"_ she demanded, surprised by the sudden intrusion, along with the fact that her "passenger" was not throwing a fit as it usually did. _"You're not Bahamut."_

_::No, I'm Ifrit. I thought you'd remember me from our little talk in Kilika Temple, but I guess it's been a while.::_

"_Yeah, and now's not really the time for chit-chat,"_ she griped.

_::I know, that's why I'm here to help you,::_ the fayth quickly explained. _::You remember what happened at Macalania Temple, right?::_

"_Do you _really _need to throw that back in my face now?"_ Charlene snarled inwardly._ "I know I messed up and butchered all those Guado, and I'm sorry it happened, but I don't need some dead guy rubbing it in!"_

_::It was my fault!::_ Ifrit blurted, stunning Charlie into silence. _::All of us fayth…we gave you different gifts to help you survive in Spira. Mine was supposed to be an overdrive, an attack you could use when your life, or the lives of your comrades were in jeopardy, but I overdid it, and you went berserk instead. I…I'm sorry, Charlie.::_

Charlene couldn't see the fayth, but she got the feeling he was hanging his head in shame. _"I'm sorry, too,"_ she finally replied.

_::For what?::_

"_For being such a crappy replacement for Tidus that you all felt the need to give me stuff just to keep me alive."_

_::That isn't your fault. You never had to fight like this in your world. Why would you ever need to?::_

Another awkward pause ensued, and then Charlie asked, _"You said you were here to help?"_

A third silence came, along with the sensation that Ifrit had temporarily forgotten why he had stopped time in the first place. _::Right! I came to help you finally gain control over my gift. You almost had it during the battle with Yunalesca, but it still wasn't complete. I believe you can do it this time.::_

"_I hope so, since I'm fish-food if I don't manage it. So, what do I do?"_

_::Do you remember the rage you felt when the Guado attacked you, or when Yunalesca tried to kill Yuna?::_ Charlie nodded and Ifrit continued to speak. _::I want you to reach for it. Don't worry about going berserk this time; I'll keep it from taking over.::_

Charlene nodded again, and reached into her memories for all the times she was angry and scared, and shuddered as the familiar mad fury rushed up to swallow her, only to stop at the last instant. _"Okay, so what now?"_ she demanded, gritting her teeth as the rage poured through her.

_::I want you to reach for you magic.::_

"_What? You mean the 'can barely light a campfire' magic?"_

_::Yes. I want you to focus on pouring it, and your rage into your sword.::_

Charlie wanted to argue, but something in the fayth's tone changed her mind. She concentrated on Brotherhood's blade as hard as she could, fighting to push her anger and her magic into it. Finally, something inside her slipped, and both emotion and magic flowed into the sword, causing the blade to erupt into small grey-violet flames. _"Uh…are those supposed to be that color?"_

_::No,::_ Ifrit slowly replied, a note of unease coloring his voice. _::It may have something to do with your "guest", who is being unusually quiet.::_

_**::Don't think it is because I fear you, fool…::**_ the shadow snarled. _**::I only tolerate you now because I have no desire to die with my host… Hurry up and restore time to normal so she can kill this worthless beast…::**_

Ifrit ignored the demon, and turned his attention back to Charlie. _::I'm about to release my hold on time. When I do, strike out with your blade. The fiend is nearly dead, so your attack should be more than enough to free you.::_

As soon as the fayth finished speaking, time started flowing again, and without even thinking about it, Charlene stabbed "Fishzilla's" guts with her still-burning blade. The fiend thrashed wildly as the strangely colored flames rolled across its body, apparently oblivious to the fact that fire does not normally burn underwater. As the flames started to subside, the young guardian wrenched her still-burning blade free, and then thrust it forward again, causing more purple flames to erupt around her. "Fishzilla" roared in agony, nearly deafening its would-be meal, but she refused to stop, even though the attacks were draining her strength. _"Gotta kill it…gotta kill it…"_ Charlie thought, even as her consciousness slipped away in a swirling blaze of dusty lavender light.

…

When Charlene awoke to find herself staring up at a gloomy grey sky, she could not help but wonder, for a brief moment, where she was. Then the memories of the battle flooded to the forefront of her mind, and she bolted upward, nearly head-butting Yuna as she did so. "Easy, Charlie," the summoner told her soothingly. "The fiend is gone."

"Rikku! Wakka!" the older girl cried, looking around in a panic. "They're still down there!"

"We're still alive, ya?" a rather battered-looking Wakka said, stepping into view.

"We're the ones who brought you back up here after you blacked out," Rikku chimed in, looking equally beat-up.

"Really?" Charlie replied in bewilderment. "Last thing I remember was stabbing that overgrown piece of bait, and purple flames everywhere." _"Ifrit didn't say it would nearly kill me, though."_

"Those flames were the result of an overdrive," Auron explained, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. Charlene stared blankly up at him, and he said, "Basically, a strong desire, usually the desire to live, breaks through your physical limits, giving you the power to fight back in a desperate situation. It is dangerous to use on a regular basis, but can save your life."

"I'm rather surprised you hadn't discovered it already," Lulu added, giving Charlie a speculative look.

"_It's not my fault Ifrit had to tinker with it to get it right!"_ the swordswoman wanted to snap, though she refrained from doing so. "I guess being swallowed whole by a giant squid-fish-thing counts as a desperate situation," she shrugged, then winced as her body protested the movement. "Why is it so dangerous, though?"

"It drains your life-energy," Yuna quietly replied. "Not enough to make a difference if you only use it occasionally, but if you use it too much…"

"You die, right?" Charlie concluded, feeling rather unnerved. _"It would have been nice if Ifrit would've warned me about that part, instead of hoping they'd tell me!"_ "So I take it that's why I'm feeling so tired now?"

Yuna nodded, and then said, "Don't worry, the energy comes back. You just need to rest for a while."

Charlene slowly climbed to her feet and sighed gustily. "I can rest back on the airship, after we've finished here. I really don't want to stay here longer than necessary."

…

A while later, the seven of them finally found the sunken passage leading into the ruins, and surfaced in a dark, damp corridor filled with low, keening moans as the wind whistled through cracks in the walls. "Whoa," Rikku said, shivering as she looked around. "Is it me, or has this place gotten even creepier?"

"It feels creepier to me," Charlie replied, shuddering at the eerie whining of the wind.

No one else said anything, instead choosing to head down the corridor as quickly as possible and leaving Rikku and Charlie behind. Both girls hurried after the rest of the party, but Charlene tripped over something in the dark, and let out a loud shriek as she toppled to the floor. Everyone whipped around to stare at her, and she slowly got up and muttered, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just tripped over a…box?"

Bewildered, Charlie stretched out a leg and nudged the rather dilapidated wooden chest experimentally with her toe. It made a hollow thudding sound, and then the top popped open, allowing her to see the contents as she cautiously edged toward it. Inside laid a doll, one around the same size as Lulu's Moogle, and it was dressed in red and yellow armor, a yellow cape, and an orange helmet that looked vaguely like a jack-o-lantern. In its hands were a sword and shield, and, when Charlie carefully lifted the doll out of the box, she noticed some faint writing on the blade, while a small, cartoonish knight adorned the shield's face. "Onion Knight…is that its name?" the swordswoman murmured, reading the inscription aloud. Then she turned to the rest of the party and held out the doll for their inspection. "It's cute, right?"

"Charlie, let me see that," Lulu said, eyeing the toy warily. The younger woman shrugged and handed the Onion Knight over, and the mage fell silent as she stared down at the doll with a look of intense concentration, eyes glowing slightly. After a tense few seconds, Lulu flinched, and everyone else gasped as a pair of emblems, one of a silver-blue star, and a purple circle with a cross on the bottom appeared in the air above the doll, where they floated above its head. "This is definitely a mage-doll, but something is sealing its power, and I can't awaken it," the mage sighed as the glyphs faded from sight.

"Venus?" Charlie blurted, confused by the symbols' sudden appearance.

"What did you say?" Lulu demanded, her voice suddenly sharp.

"That purple symbol…it looked like the symbol for Venus," Charlene replied, taken aback by the sorceress' sudden waspishness. "And I think it might have something to do with the map and the mirror from Remiem. You know, the ones you didn't want to hear about before?" When Lulu glared at her, clearly ready to lob a spell at her head if she didn't hurry up, the younger woman hastily added, "I still can't read it, but it _is_ a map of Spira, and there are several symbols on it that I recognize from my own world, ones that represent different planets, the sun, and the moon."

She rummaged around in her pouches and pulled out the completed Sun disc, showing it to everyone. "I've been finding things like this all over the place since I got here. I haven't found all the pieces yet, except for the ones for the Sun and Mercury, but I think they have something to do with those Celestial Weapons that guy at the arena told us about. Hell, he gave that staff to Yuna, after all."

"Sounds like a bunch of fairy tales or something," Wakka said, looking a little hesitant.

Charlie shrugged again. "Maybe, maybe not. It's worth looking into, anyway, since we're going to revisit the fayth and all. When we get back to the ship where there's some decent lighting, I'll show you the map and Yuna can decide whether we look for them or not."

…

After Lulu decided to keep the doll, even though she could not use it in its current state, the group continued making their way through the temple, until they came to what appeared to be the outer room of the Chamber of the Fayth. Unlike the Chambers in the other temples, however, this one had a giant glowing glyph blocking the door, and six statues standing in it, each with softly glowing spheres in their hands. All of the orbs, save one, were identical to the spheres in the other temples, but the last one glowed a faint, sulfurous yellow that sent chills down Charlie's spine. _"That one…I don't know what's wrong with it, but it gives me the willies."_

As the guardian warily approached the statue, however, the sphere's light began to flicker dangerously, and she quickly backed away. Even as she backed off, however, the sphere continued to flicker, as if it suddenly had trouble maintaining its light. "Hey, guys? Is this one supposed to be acting like a broken firefly?"

Yuna came over and peered curiously at the flashing orb, and replied, "No, it isn't. This sphere is losing power. Whatever was powering it must have been recently destroyed."

"Isn't it obvious?" Auron asked, popping up behind the two girls and startling them. "This sphere was tied to Yunalesca, and now that she's gone, it is fading away."

As if to prove his point, the sphere went dark, and then crumbled, leaving behind chunks of dull black rock. Charlie stared down at the remnants of the sphere, and then looked back at Auron. "So…since you've been here before, why don't you tell us how we get into the inner chamber?"

"It is quite easy, actually," the swordsman impassively replied. "Anima is a dangerously powerful aeon, so to earn the right to use her; the summoner must first pass the trials of the other temples. To pass, Yuna must simply touch the rest of the spheres, and the barrier will disappear."

Without wasting any more time, Yuna quickly walked around the room and touched all the spheres, and once she was through, the giant glyph blocking the door vanished, allowing the group to pass. They entered the inner chamber, where they spotted the fayth statue embedded in the floor. The statue resembled a pair of monsters joined at the waist, with a pair of purplish-green fins covering them. Nestled between the fins was a dark-haired woman in a blue and white dress. _"I don't know why, but that woman in the statue looks kinda familiar,"_ Charlie noted, as Yuna began her prayer.

The summoner did not have to wait long for a response, as a sorrowful alto voice began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth, and an almost crushing despair bled into the atmosphere. Just as the bleakness of the song reached its crescendo, a woman-the one from the statue appeared, her sad grey eyes focused on Yuna. The summoner met the fayth's gaze unflinchingly, and calmly said, "You are Maester Seymour's mother."

Charlie fought down the urge to yelp with astonishment. _"His mom? Oh, that's right! We saw an image of her back in Zanarkand."_

Anima continued looking at Yuna. "So you know, yet still you seek my aid?" she somberly asked. "My son…do you not hate him?"

No one answered that question aloud, and while Charlene didn't know what anyone else was thinking, she knew how she felt. _"He tried to kill us all, tried to use Yuna, and cursed me with this stupid demon! I hate that miserable bastard! How couldn't I?"_

_**::**__**Go ahead and hate him…::**_ the presence within her cackled. _**::It changes nothing… You will serve him in the end, whether you hate him or not…::**_

Charlie angrily shook her head, and then looked back at Anima, only to find the fayth watching her with a sad, knowing look in her eyes. "It is all right," she quietly replied. "He is the one who sowed the seeds of hatred. He is to blame."

Suddenly, the room transformed into what looked like a lavishly appointed sitting room, and within it stood a ghostly image of Seymour as a child, bitterly weeping as if his heart was broken. The fayth stared sorrowfully at the image for a moment, and then spoke again. "But I am at fault for letting him become what he was. He was always alone-half Guado, half man. I wanted to give him the strength to live by himself, and so I became a fayth." The image faded, and Anima's expression became even sadder. "But…because I let him taste power, he began to thirst for more. He was not satisfied with my aeon. He wanted more…more power."

"And he thinks that Sin will give him that power," Charlie flatly replied.

"Yes," she answered, before turning her attention back to Yuna. "Come, summoner, I will bestow you with my power: the Dark Aeon, Anima." As the fayth stepped forward, a ghostly image of the aeon appeared behind her, roaring silently and weeping blood. "Destroy Sin, and my son's obsession with it…though it is small recompense for what I did to him."

She reached out and embraced Yuna, and then vanished in wisps of dark mist as they joined. Yuna staggered a bit, slightly overwhelmed by the power of her new aeon, but managed to recover without falling. She looked down at Anima's statue in silence, tears filling her blue and green eyes, but said nothing. "Yuna, are you all right?" Lulu gently asked, placing a hand on the summoner's shoulder.

Yuna turned and looked at the mage, wiping her eyes as she did so, and then nodded. "Yes, I'm okay. I'll be fine, really." Then she looked around at everyone else, and said, "Everyone, let's go."

Without another word, the seven of them turned and filed out of the inner chamber, Charlie choosing to remain at the end of the line. As she finally turned to leave, however, Anima's voice rang out in her mind. _::Charlie, I would speak with you.::_

"_Is this about the bastard in the back of my mind?"_ the guardian sighed, rolling her eyes. _"Because if it is, I don't want to hear about it. Bahamut and the others are already doing a fine job of harassing me about it."_

Anima fell silent for a moment, seeming to process that, and then said, _::No, it is not about the dark one within you. I just wanted to apologize for my son's actions.::_

"_It's not all your fault,"_ Charlie replied, shaking her head. _"You and Jyscal weren't exactly 'Parent of the Year' material, but his actions are his own. He's a big boy now, you know."_

A wave of sardonic amusement filled Charlene's mind, giving her the feeling that Anima might be laughing. _::Indeed. Well then, Guardian…I bid you good fortune on the rest of your journey.::_

Charlie nodded, and, deciding to speak aloud, said, "Thanks. I need all the good luck I can get."


	37. Blackwater

**Author's** **Note:**I know it's been over two years since I've last updated, and I cannot express how sorry I am for that. Real Life just kept biting me again and again, however, and would not let go. Then came the fact that I have gotten to a point in the game that I find terribly boring, and my muses all but abandoned me with it until very recently. This chapter is pretty short, but I've come to the conclusion that this might work out better if I chop the sequence up into short parts, rather than killing myself by writing a thirty page epic of the gang dicking around across Spira as they search for the rest of the Celestial Objects. Anyway, I hope you will all forgive me for taking so long, and enjoy the new chapter.

Oh, and happy birthday, John.

* * *

Chapter 37: Blackwater

Once the group finished their business in the ruins of Baaj, they made their way back to the Airship and set course for Besaid. "Since it's going to take a while to get to Besaid, I'd really like to discuss the map and the discs...and what they might lead to," Charlie requested, looking as if she might go berserk if they said no.

A long silence ensued, until Yuna finally replied, "All right, tell us about them."

Eagerly, Charlie pulled out the map and the completed Sun disc, and held them both out for the party's inspection. "Okay, I'm sure I've said it before, but the map is one of Spira, and has symbols I recognize from my world written on it. Judging by several of the locations marked on it, I believe they lead to these." She jiggled the Sun disc slightly. "Ever since I first arrived here, I've been finding pieces of them on my own, but whenever you find both parts of a set and combine them, their marks on the map vanish, and reappear in a new spot."

"What's that got to do with the Celestial Weapons?" Wakka interrupted, confused.

"What I'm thinking is that once both pieces of a particular disc are combined, the area the symbol reappears in corresponds to the weapon's actual location." Charlie put the Sun disc away and pointed at the symbol on the map. "If I'm right, this is where the 'Sun' weapon would be…though since I can't read the writing, and haven't seen another map of Spira since I got here, I have no actual idea where it is."

Rikku peered at the map for a moment, and then said, "Looks like it's in the northern Calm Lands, but what about this one in Macalania?" She poked at a five-pointed star on another part of the parchment. "It's just a star, right?"

"I'm not sure, actually. "I think it might have something to do with the mirror that came with the map, though. Maybe it's another key to unlocking the weapon? I mean, think about that Nirvana staff the old man gave Yuna; it looked like a dusty old relic, but maybe, once we have all the pieces, it will change into something stronger."

"That is a possibility," Lulu stated, peering down at the map with more interest than she previously had shown. "And these markings appear to be close enough to where we intend to go that it shouldn't slow us down much to search for them."

Charlie nodded, and then looked up at Auron, who had watched them converse, but hadn't spoken. His expression was closed and unreadable, but he finally said, "Very well. There is one other place we should go, then." He took the map from Charlie and studied it silently, before pointing at a spot far to the east of the mainland. "Here. It will be our last test before we face Sin. If we cannot face what lies in there, then we have little chance of beating Sin."

…

Eventually, the airship reached Besaid, and the group departed on the beach, as it was the only place on the island with enough open space for them to disembark safely. The fiends on the road weren't much of a concern, as everyone was much stronger than when they were last on the island, so the trek was relatively boring, at least in Charlie's eyes. After a few minutes of hiking, the seven of them made it to the monument by the cliff, and standing near it was Luzzu, who seemed to be watching the surrounding area like a hawk. Charlene felt a sharp stab of guilt surge through her, as she remembered Gatta's death at Mushroom Rock, but she forced herself to smile as she waved at Luzzu and called, "Hey! Why are you all the way out here?"

"Watching for fiends!" the redhead seriously replied. "We Crusaders must protect the village. Even if we cannot defeat Sin, we do what we can."

"We'll beat it, Luzzu," Charlie promised fervently. "We've got a plan that doesn't involve anymore needless death, but we'll need everyone's help."

When the Crusader looked intrigued, she quickly explained the plan, and then waited to see his reaction. He looked startled at first, and then afraid, and Charlie felt the guilt wash over her again. Before she could say anything, however, Luzzu smiled slightly, and then pointed at the monument. "I do not know if your plan will work, but you should pray before you go. All who leave the island pray for safe passage over there." He paused, blinking back what looked suspiciously like tears, and then added, "Gatta always refused, though."

Charlene smiled weakly, as the amusement at the idea of praying to the very being that she was going to help stop. Luzzu returned the smile, and started to turn his attention back to the sea beyond the cliffs, when Charlie blurted, "Wait!"

The Crusader caught the note of desperation in her voice and quickly turned back, concern etched in his features. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The rest of the group stared at Charlie, as well, but she ignored them, wanting to speak, quickly, before she lost her resolve. "It's about Gatta…" she began, wincing when she saw the raw grief well up in his gaze. He did not reply, however, so she continued to speak. "Back during the operation…we met him at the gate to the command center. He was really unhappy about being there, and I heard him muttering something about going to the frontlines, even though he was told not to." She paused, closed her eyes, inhaled sharply, and then added, "I meant to say something to someone in charge so that they could stop him, but there wasn't much time, so it's my fault. Gatta's death is my fault. Luzzu…I'm sorry."

Silence ensued, broken only by the sound of the wind and the waves far below. Charlene did not open her eyes, but kept them closed, standing quietly and waiting for Luzzu's reaction. She fully expected him to hit her, the way Wakka had struck him those long months ago. What she did not expect, however, was for him to hug her tightly: not in a romantic embrace, but one between friends sharing pain. Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him in shock, but Luzzu just smiled sadly and replied, "Charlie…what happened to Gatta is not your fault. It was not anyone's fault…I know that now."

Charlene sobbed once, but then managed to wrestle the pain back under a calm façade. "It still hurts, though," she murmured.

"I know." Luzzu let her go then, and bowed. "Thank you, Charlie…and good luck."

Charlie then turned back to her friends, who all stared at her with varying degrees of worry. "Are you okay?" Yuna asked.

"Never better!" the older girl cheerfully replied, a false smile plastered on her face. "Now let's go; I know the fayth isn't going to get up and walk off, but that doesn't mean we can just stand around."

…

The party finally made it to the village, where, despite all the rumors spread by Yevon, the inhabitants greeted Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu warmly. It did not take long for everyone to spread the word about the plan, but the villagers all still wanted a chance to talk to "their" summoner and guardians. Charlie knew they wouldn't want to speak with her, however, so she hung out near the Crusaders' Lodge, out of the way of everyone else. Kimahri stood there, too, but did not say anything when the younger guardian joined him. Instead, he kept his golden eyes trained on Yuna, watchful for any kind of trouble. The Ronso was not completely ignoring her, however, as he eventually shot her a sidelong glance and said, "Charlie hurt."

"What?"

Kimahri turned and fully looked at her. "Charlie hurt inside. Hurts, but hides behind smile."

Charlie winced. "Is it that obvious?"

Before the Ronso could answer, a small cat emerged from the Lodge, spotted Kimahri, and raced toward him, meowing loudly. Once it reached him, it began rubbing against his ankles and purring loudly. Charlie giggled at the little cat's antics, and said, "Friend of yours, Kimahri?"

The Ronso let out a long-suffering sigh, but knelt down to scoop up the cat, which quickly climbed up onto his shoulder and resumed its loud purring. "Looks like she's got a crush on you, big guy," the younger guardian chuckled.

Kimahri said nothing, but then, he did not need to, as Yuna finished talking to the villagers and approached the two guardians. "I am ready now," she told them both, before heading toward the temple.

…

Besaid Temple had not changed at all since the last time they were there. The Trial was the same as before, and therefore, did not take as long to complete. The beast lurking in the back of Charlene's mind hated being in the temple, but kept its opinion to itself, for once. _"Thank God…"_ Charlie thought, wincing slightly at the small headache forming behind her eyes.

Once the group made it to the end of the Cloister of Trials, instead of waiting outside for Yuna as they did before, they followed her inside, where the fayth lay. The statue appeared to be a woman with Valefor's wings sprouting from her back, and when Yuna called out to it, a brief flash of the aeon appeared, and then changed into a young girl of about fourteen dressed in purple and yellow. "Sin is cursed." Valefor said, her soft voice identifying herself to Charlie as the mystery voice from the first time she entered the Cloister. "Sin prays. It curses its form. It prays for dissolution. Sin sees dreams of its own destruction. Sin is looking at us. We live in a fading echo of time left us by the destroyer. Free him from Yu Yevon. Free him-the Fayth that has become Sin."

The fayth then looked at Charlie, her gaze sharp and hard, but said nothing…at least, not aloud. _::You are losing, Charlie. Day by day, that Shadow grows stronger and you grow weaker.::_

Charlie stared back at Valefor, her expression carefully blank, and nodded, but did not reply.

…

After visiting with Valefor, the seven of them went back to the Airship, and headed northward, toward Kilika. Charlie spent most of that time training, sparring with whoever would work with her. Mostly, it was either Auron or Kimahri she fought with, though there were a few Al Bhed who sometimes joined in. Charlie did not care who her partner was, as long as she was too exhausted to dream once she finally fell asleep. She did not like to sleep anymore. The shadow within her lurked there and inevitably turned her dreams into nightmares that left her sweating and shaking with fear. _**::It would all stop if you would just give in to me…::**_ it whispered, its voice an icy caress that sent chills down her spine as she strode down the corridor back to her quarters. _**::We could kill everyone on this ship before they could put up a defense, and then we could go be with our master… All you have to do is stop fighting…::**_

"No!" Charlie growled to herself. "They are my friends, and I won't let you have them!"

"Charlie," a soft voice said, startling her.

She whipped around then, one hand immediately reaching for her practice blade. Then she realized it was Rin standing there with a satchel slung over one shoulder, and she quickly forced herself to relax. "Sorry about that…I'm a little wound up," she sheepishly replied.

"I see…" Rin looked her over, not in a sexual way, but in a more clinical approach. "You are wearing yourself out," he stated simply, his gaze finally returning to her face.

"Yeah, well we do have a really huge fight ahead of us," Charlie answered, averting her gaze. "It's enough to make anyone nervous, don't you think?"

The Al Bhed stared at her in silence for a long moment, and then said, "I think it is more than that. You appear as though you have not slept in days. None of the others seem to have that problem, so what is it that bothers you so?"

Charlie opened her mouth to blurt out the true source of her problems, but the darkness within quickly moved to stifle her speech. She stood there, gaping like a fish, until she finally blurted, "Nightmares. I've been having them for so long now I barely remember what a good night's sleep feels like. I've tried exhausting myself so that I don't dream, but it only works for a few hours, and then it starts up again."

Rin looked at her closely, and said, "I may have something that can help you, but it is only on a temporary basis." He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a small bottle made of clear, dark blue glass, and held it out to her. "This is Pmylgfydan…a very potent sedative. Take one drop before you go to bed, and it should let you sleep without dreams the entire time."

Charlene took the bottle and looked at Rin as though she might kiss him, but the entrepreneur quickly held up a cautionary finger. "Remember, just _one_ drop. It is made with dust from the winds in the Farplane, and if you take too much, it could send you into a coma, or even kill you. There should be enough to help you recover your lost sleep, Charlie, but I highly suggest you learn the source of your nightmares and deal with it."

She nodded in agreement and smiled brightly, but retreated back to her quarters, locked herself inside, and set the bottle down on the nearby end table, staring at it for a long time and thinking. Should she take it? Should she go find Rin and tell him it was a terrible mistake? The shadow slithered around in the back of her mind, laughing at her, and hissed, _**::Taking drugs now, are we? You are so terribly pathetic…::**_

Something in the way the creature spoke, however, caught Charlie's attention. It sounded almost…afraid? That notion steeled her resolve, and she quickly opened the bottle and peered inside. Pmylgfydan was thick and black, and looked like congealed ink. Curious, Charlene took an experimental sniff, and quickly wrinkled her nose. "Ugh…this stuff smells like flowers and death," she groaned, shaking her head as if it to clear it.

Determined to move forward with the plan to get her demon to shut up, she quickly put a drop of the strange substance on her tongue, and nearly choked at the taste. It tasted like the smell of hyacinth, but with undertones of blood and something cloyingly sweet that she could not readily identify. The flavor lingered unpleasantly, and even seemed to fill Charlie's nose as she stood up and looked around, eager to find something to get rid of the taste. The room drifted away, however, appearing as though she was looking at it through a window, and the sound of a strong gust of wind filled her ears as she grew dizzy. "Wow…I didn't think this stuff took effect so quickly…" Charlie mumbled to herself, wobbling dangerously as she looked around. "I think I'd better…"

She did not finish her sentence, however, as darkness rose up around her and she collapsed to the floor beside the bed in a graceless heap.


	38. Keep Moving

**Author's Note:** Holy crap, I'm back with another chapter! -shock- Like the last one, this one is un-beta'd, though I have read through it a few times to try to catch any mistakes I might have made. I'm currently working on Chapter 39, so hopefully I'll have that one up soonish, as well.

* * *

Chapter 38: Keep Moving

When Charlene woke the next day, she was rather disconcerted to find herself on the floor after passing out from her first use of Pmylgfydan, but quite pleased to see that the demon she carried was quiet and subdued. She wondered if the fact that the stuff had dust from the Farplane in it might have had something to do with it, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind as the Airship landed in Kilika. Their stop in the temple was uneventful, although Charlie noted with a pang of regret that Ifrit's fayth bore an uncanny resemblance to Gatta. He made mention of Jecht when he spoke, but said nothing of what happened in Baaj, nor did he speak of her demon the way Valefor and Bahamut had done. _"It's not as though he'd be telling me anything new if he did, though,"_ Charlie thought to herself as the seven of them exited Kilika Temple.

Their next stop was Luca, where the blitzball season was still going strong, and the Aurochs, gaining confidence from their victory at the tournament, were doing very well for themselves, though they still sorely missed Wakka's presence. "Cap'n, why don't you join us for the new tournament?" Datto suggested, after Wakka explained why they were in Luca and the plan for defeating Sin. "They're giving out a really weird-looking prize this time, but it'd make a lot of our fans happy, ya?"

"I dunno…" Wakka began, turning to check everyone's expressions to see what they thought. "I mean, I want to, ya? But do we really have time?"

As the others discussed the situation, Charlie found herself drawn to the display case where the trophies lay waiting for the tournament winners, pulled there by the same strange sensation that led her to the various Celestial artifacts already discovered throughout her journey. The 'call' came from the first place trophy, a rather ugly bronze statue holding a coin engraved with what looked like a stylized number 4 in its center. Charlie quickly dug in one of her pouches and pulled out her bronze disc, holding it up next to the trophy. "Yep, this is the one," she muttered, before turning to look at her friends. "Wakka, join the tournament," she told him, causing a halt to their ongoing discussion.

"Seriously?" Rikku asked, looking at the other girl as though she had suddenly sprouted an extra head. "I like blitzball as much as the next girl, but we have to spread the word around about our plan, not sit around watching the games."

"I know, but the first place trophy has one of the coins we need. The Jupiter coin, in fact. I figure Wakka and the guys can play the tournament and win, while in the meantime, we can spread the word around Luca."

"Huh…" Lulu smirked, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. "That actually is a good idea."

"Hey, I'm allowed to have good ideas every once in a while!" Charlie shot back, before sticking her tongue out at the Black Mage.

The older woman smirked again, but said nothing, instead walking sedately out the door. Charlene and the rest, except Wakka, followed her back outside, where they split up into two groups so they could cover a wider area of the city. Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku were one group, while Auron, Kimahri, and Charlie formed the other one. _"Yeah…stick me with the two strong and silent types,"_ Charlie thought, rolling her eyes as she followed said companions down their chosen street. _"Because I _totally_ love talking for everyone else. Yep, I'm the official spokesperson for 'Auron and Kimahri: Ass-Kickers at Large'."_

Surprisingly, Auron did do quite a bit of speaking, telling people about the plan without glaring at or threatening anyone. Charlie did her part, of course, and while Kimahri did not speak much, he did do his part by passing the word on to several Ronso they met while walking the city. After about an hour, the three of them stopped in a bar for a small break, and it turned out to be the same bar Charlie, Yuna, and Kimahri had visited in their previous excursion through Luca. Once inside, the barkeep looked them over, rested his gaze on Charlie, and said, "You're that girl who played for the Aurochs in the Yevon Tournament, right?"

Cautiously, she looked back at Auron and Kimahri. The Ronso was passive, as always, while Auron just gave a noncommittal shrug, though his dark gaze still darted about, as though looking for trouble. Finally, she turned back to the barkeep and replied, "Yeah…is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nah…I just wanted to make sure I was talking to the right person is all. Wakka really impressed me last time he played, and I wanted to make sure this would get to him."

"This? What are you talking about? I don't see anything."

The barkeep smiled broadly, then ducked under the counter and pulled out a large box and unlocked it before turning it to face the three guardians and flipping the lid open. Inside laid a blitzball, but it looked nothing like an ordinary ball. The sphere itself appeared as though it was originally red, black, and gold, but the colors had faded to dusty, greyish hues over time, while several sets of blades set into the top, bottom, and equator of the ball appeared dull and lusterless. Charlie peered closely at the tiny writing near one of the blades and read it aloud. "World Champion. Is that what this is called?"

The barkeep nodded and said, "This used to be Lord Ohalland's favorite weapon. One of my ancestors witnessed Lord Ohalland's battle with Sin, and brought his weapon back here to Luca afterward. Rumor has it that it'll only shine again when in the hands of someone destined to fight Sin, so I figure if anyone can wake up this relic, Wakka can."

Charlie reverently took the ball out of the case and tucked it under an arm. It felt rather ungainly to her, and she looked back at Auron and Kimahri and asked, "How in the world does Wakka use these things, anyway?"

"You never asked him?" Auron replied, looking slightly surprised.

The swordsman's look clearly screamed 'I'm surprised you didn't ask because you're nosy as hell', and Charlie glared at him. "No, I never thought to ask. So do you know or not?"

"Magic," Kimahri rumbled, ending the impending argument. Both of the other guardians turned and gave the Ronso a quizzical look, so he continued to speak. "Wakka has small gift, much like Charlie. Fighting skill is Wakka's own, but magic makes blitzball return when he calls it."

"Really?" she looked down at the World Champion, then back up at Kimahri. "So if we manage to wake this thing up, will his 'small gift' keep this thing from slicing him open on accident?"

"Kimahri not know."

…

Sometime later, the three of them made their way back to the stadium, where they found Lulu, Yuna, and Rikku watching the Aurochs battle the Kilika Beasts in the final round. The game was tied 2-2, and the final minute was quickly ticking down, but with some rather creative acrobatics, the Aurochs managed to slip one last shot past the Kilika goalie, and ended up winning. After the awards ceremony, the group met the team back in the locker room, where Jassu handed the trophy to Wakka. The blitz captain removed the coin from it and turned to hand it to Charlene, but paused when he saw the blitzball tucked under her arm. "Whoa…where'd you get that?" he asked, his tone only slightly envious.

She quickly passed it to him in exchange for the coin. "One of the bartenders here in town had it. He said it used to belong to Ohalland, but that he wanted you to have it."

She paused, having dug the bronze disc out of her pouch, slipped the coin into its opening, and then pulled out the map. As she thought, the map had changed again, with all of the Jupiter symbols gone from their usual places, and a smaller orange one near the star symbol of Macalania Woods. "There's that one finished, at least…but it looks like we won't actually be able to do anything more with it until we get to Macalania."

…

Since they could travel in the Airship now, traveling to Mushroom Rock and Djose wasn't nearly as long as the first trip, but still took several days, during which Charlie practiced hard during her sparring sessions and took Pmylgfydan to sleep at night. She tried going without it whenever she could, but after the first attempt, in which the demon attacked her with renewed ferocity, she resumed taking it. _"At least I learned how to not end up passed out on the floor…"_ she thought bitterly upon waking the morning they reached their destination.

Their search in Mushroom Rock turned up two more weapons: a huge, dusty red gauntlet called Godhand, and a massive but dull executioner's blade called Masamune. Godhand reacted with the completed Mercury disc, creating a small green dot on the map, while Masamune did nothing, until Lulu attempted to check it as she had the Onion Knight. As with Onion Knight, a symbol appeared above Masamune, but instead of Venus, the symbol of Mars, a circle with an arrow sticking out of the upper right side, appeared. When Charlene checked the map for it, she let out a small sigh of disappointment when she saw that the coin was located in the Calm Lands, along with the Moon coin and the Sun weapon…whatever it was. _"I just hope it's going to be something I can use, because we don't have time for me to learn another weapon. I'm just now getting good with the sword…thanks to the fayth."_

From Mushroom Rock, the group made their way back to Djose, where they ran into Dona and Barthello. "Oh, it's you again," the former summoner said, looking at the group appraisingly as her guardian ran off, presumably to busy himself with something.

"You're still traveling?" Charlie asked, keeping her voice polite, though she dearly wanted to say something scathing.

Dona nodded as her muscle-bound guardian returned with a heavy bag slung over his brawny shoulders. "Yes, but we're not going to Zanarkand. We are going to Barthello's homeland. Let the other summoners deal with Sin." She hung her head and let out a small sigh. "I…I'm scared."

Charlie felt a sharp stab of pity surge through her at what had to be a painful admission for the stuck-up ex-summoner. "Don't worry, Dona," she told her kindly. "We'll deal with Sin."

Dona looked up sharply at that and gasped. "You mean…the Final Summoning?"

Charlie shook her head. "No. We aren't using that. We've come up with a different way, so that no one else has to die."

She shared their plan with Dona, and asked that she and Barthello help spread the word, and the ex-summoner readily agreed, surprisingly enough. "Do your best," the dark-skinned woman replied. Then she gestured to her partner and said, "Barthello, time to go."

Charlene watched the pair leave, and only looked away when Yuna walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That was very nice of you," the summoner told her, a smile lighting up her face.

"Shh…don't tell anyone," the guardian quipped. "We don't want to spoil my reputation by letting anyone know I'm nice."

Yuna giggled at that, but said nothing else as they all made their way inside the temple. The Cloister of Trials was much easier this time around, since they knew how to complete all the puzzles, and when they finally made it to the Chamber of the Fayth, they found a statue of a man holding Ixion's horn lying under the glass on the floor. A deep baritone voice rang out through the room, singing the Hymn of the Fayth as a ghostly image of Ixion briefly appeared, before taking on the form of the fayth. This one was an older man in his late fifties or early sixties, but Charlie fought hard to choke down her laughter when she saw his clothes. _"Don't laugh, Charlie…don't laugh…just because he looks like a Jolly Green Pirate doesn't mean he can't hit you in the ass with a lightning bolt for making fun of him."_

Ixion looked at each of them in silence, and apparently knew that Charlie was trying not to laugh at him, because the look he gave her was sharp enough to cut a diamond. He eventually stopped glaring at her, however, and finally spoke. "For a long time, we had forgotten how to go forward. You reminded us we must go forward. Yes, we must run. Let us go, you who share our dreaming. Come, and we will run until the dream's end."

Ixion then faded away, and the group turned to leave, but as Charlie turned to go, the fayth's voice rang out in her mind. _::I hope you realize you aren't fooling anyone with that drug.::_

"_I know…I just use it to sleep is all. It seems to make the shadow shut up quite nicely, though."_

_::Yes…but as your Al Bhed friend said, it is made with dust from the Farplane. It works because it calls that thing back to its place of origin every time you take it.::_

That gave Charlene pause, and she turned back to look at the empty air above the statue. _"So it could pull it out of me and back to the Farplane if I took enough of it?"_

_::Yes…if you wanted to die along with it. But remember what happened to you last time you set foot in the Farplane?::_

Charlie shuddered at those memories and then sighed in regret. "So much for hoping for that," she muttered.

_::Find another way, child,::_ Ixion told her, sounding much like Auron. _::No one ever promised you it would be easy.::_

…

After leaving Djose Temple, the group made up their minds and headed up toward the Moonflow on foot, after Rikku asked her father to meet up with them in the Calm Lands. "There are more people up this way, so it'd be easier to spread the word about our plan if we walk the whole time," the little thief explained.

"What about the Thunder Plains?" Yuna asked, her expression slightly worried. "Will you be all right?"

Rikku winced and flinched hard, but replied, "Yes. I made it across once…I can do it again, I promise."

Charlie wasn't particularly happy about the decision, as she did not want anyone else knowing she was taking the Pmylgfydan, but did not raise any protests. _"It's just a few nights,"_ she told herself, trying hard to calm down. _"A few nights without it won't hurt."_

Traveling up to the great river was far easier this time, as they all knew what to expect from the local fiends, but by the time they reached their destination, the sun had set and the Hypello had already shut down the shoopuf ferry for the night. "Shoopuf shleepin. Come back tomorrow, yesh?" the frog-like creature told them, looking vaguely apologetic for the inconvenience.

Apparently, Charlene wore an open look of dismay, as Wakka threw a brotherly arm over her shoulder and said, "Hey, don't get so down! At least you get to see the Moonflow at night like you wanted, ya?"

The younger guardian smiled weakly, but steeled her resolve and replied, "You're right, Wakka. Thank you."

As it turned out, the Moonflow at night was just as beautiful as Lulu's description so long ago. The moonlilies all gave off a faint violet glow, but the pyreflies that wheeled and flashed just above the water's surface mostly outshone them. It looked so peaceful, and Charlie could not help but relax as she sat and watched the lightshow. She did not know how long she stayed there, but was surprised when Auron actually walked over and sat down next to her, and she noticed he was not wearing his collar, for once. He did not touch her at all, but she was suddenly so hyperaware of his presence that even his occasional glances felt like caresses. _"God, I hope he can't see me blushing,"_ she silently begged, not taking her gaze from the river.

If he could see it, he chose to ignore it, as he did not say anything about it. Instead, when he finally did speak, he said, "You should get some sleep, Charlie."

She flinched at that and her heart pounded. _"Does he know that I haven't been sleeping well? Does he know _why_ I haven't been sleeping?"_ Her thoughts raced on, but she managed to keep calm and responded, "I know…but it's just so beautiful here. It feels like a dream."

Auron chuckled softly at that, and then reached over and took her hand, squeezing it briefly before letting go. Surprised, Charlie found herself gaping at him; as he never struck her as the 'touchy-feely' type, save for combat practice. She knew he cared about her, but never expected even that brief display of affection from him. The gesture, while extremely touching, also made her feel horribly guilty, as she was still desperately afraid to tell him…or anyone, really…about her problem. "Auron, I…I need to ask you something."

_**::He'll kill you if you tell him, you know…::**_ the shadow whispered. _**::He'll kill you, and then I'll get to keep you forever…unless you just cease to exist, of course. You **_**are**_** an alien, after all…::**_

Charlie shook her head and started to change her mind, but something about Auron's curious expression made her press forward. "What do you know about demonic possession?" she blurted, getting the words out in a rush.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at that. Whatever question he was expecting, that clearly was not it. "I trained as a warrior monk. We fought and killed fiends and things that you might call demons, but if it was something that needed to be driven out of an innocent, we had to call the services of a summoner. Braska was called into that service once, before his pilgrimage. I went with him, of course, but it was extremely dangerous and it nearly cost us both our lives." He paused in his explanation and gave Charlie a strange look. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh…no real reason, really. It's just that there are stories about that sort of thing where I come from, but I've never heard of anyone it actually happened to. I just wondered if there was anything about it here in Spira, since it's so interconnected to the Farplane and all." She climbed to her feet then, and quickly dusted herself off. "It was just a silly question, that's all."

He looked as though he did not believe her, but she leaned down and kissed his cheek, near the corner of his mouth, and then said, "Thanks for answering it. Good night, Auron."

With that, Charlie walked back to where the others had gathered, flopped down onto her bedroll, and fell asleep. Auron watched her go, and felt a sharp pang of regret as part of him railed at not kissing her back, not carrying it further. _"It isn't a good idea,"_ he told himself stubbornly. _"Even if I was not an unsent, it is still not a good idea to become so attached when I do not even know what will happen to her once Sin is gone…"_

…_Flash…_

Charlie thrashed wildly on a table, her arms and legs bound in a spread eagle position as Yuna stood nearby, dancing as she performed the Sending. It hurt. It felt as though someone slowly tore her soul from her body and shredded into tiny pieces as it emerged. She let out a terrible, high-pitched scream, but Yuna kept dancing. A cloud of oily black smoke erupted from her torso and solidified into a long, sharply pointed tentacle that writhed like a dying snake, but Yuna still danced. The summoner danced and paid no mind to the danger as the tentacle shot forth. She kept dancing until that tentacle's dagger-sharp tip speared through her chest and out her back. Then she danced no more, instead going limp as her life ebbed away. Charlie screamed again, this time in anguish, as the tentacle threw her friend's corpse away, causing it to smack into the far wall with a dull thud before collapsing to the floor in a heap. "The exorcism failed," she heard an unfamiliar voice say. "The demon was too strong. Kill the host. It's the only way."

Charlie did not even have time to beg for her life before the shining steel of a massive sword swept down at her neck…

…_Flash…_

Charlene awoke with a jolt, but managed to choke down the scream rising in her throat. She wanted to cry, to break down in wracking sobs, but she knew that if she did, it would worry the others, causing them to ask awkward questions she did not want to answer. _"They have enough worries as it is…we're going back to Guadosalam today, and we have no idea what sort of reception we'll get. Not a warm one, that's for sure, but will they avoid us, or try to kill us?"_

No one said anything as they broke camp and headed back to the shoopuf ferry, so Charlie assumed that no one had noticed her nightmare, which suited her just fine. The trip across the river was uneventful this time around, with no Al Bhed ambushing them or attempting to kidnap Yuna, but the seven of them stayed on edge as they drew closer to their destination. Once they reached Guadosalam, they expected the Guado to attack them, but while the elfin beings eyed them with deep suspicion, mistrust, and in Charlie's case, outright fear, none of them said or did anything as they headed up to the Farplane portal. Charlie, Auron, and Rikku all stayed outside, but before the rest of the group went in, Charlie handed Yuna the map. "This should show you where the Venus item is," she explained. "I don't know if it's the disc or the coin, but I think I didn't sense it the last time we were here because the Farplane didn't like me being in there."

She looked around at the few pyreflies drifting about and had the feeling they were watching to make sure she didn't go too close to the portal. Yuna noticed her apprehension, and said, "We'll try to hurry, I promise."

With that, Yuna, Wakka, Kimahri, and Lulu stepped through the portal and vanished, leaving Rikku, Charlie, and Auron waiting in silence. The quiet did not last long, however, before Tromell Guado appeared, looking torn between fury and terror as he glared at the three of them. His eyes alighted on Charlie, and he spat, "Why are you in Guadosalam? What business does a demon like you have here? Did you come to finish what you started in Macalania?"

His words, and the venom in them, cut her deeply, but before she could even try to defend herself, Rikku jumped to her feet, took on a combative stance, and yelled, "You wanna make something of it?"

Tromell did not even look at the Al Bhed. Instead, he kept staring at Charlene as though she might go berserk at any moment. "If it would please you to harm a defenseless old man, then burn me, boil me. It matters not. Lord Seymour is gone, and no new Lord rises to take his place. We Guado merely wait to die…whether by your hand or by Sin's, it makes no difference to us. None of us will try to stop you."

When Charlie did not reply, Tromell resumed walking, striding past Rikku and vanishing across the portal's threshold. Once he was gone, the Al Bhed angrily shook her fist at the portal and shouted, "I oughtta come in there and…"

Whatever it was Rikku planned to do never came out, as Charlie burst into tears, completely distracting her from her threat. The little thief whipped around to find the dark-haired guardian curled up into a fetal position, her arms wrapped around her legs and her face buried against her knees as she cried. "Charlie?" she hurried over to her friend's side and wrapped her arms around her. "Charlie, please don't cry."

"He's right, Rikku…" she sobbed, not looking up. "I butchered all those Guado! They were running away at that point, and I still chased them down and slaughtered them! He has every right to call me a demon!"

"No, he doesn't!" Auron barked, speaking for the first time since they entered the city.

Charlie stopped crying then, and she and Rikku both looked at the swordsman as though he'd just breathed fire. He did not look too far from it, if his expression was any indicator. When neither girl made another sound, he continued, "The Guado pursued us first, and it was only then that you snapped, Charlie. You lost control. That does not make you a demon or a monster. The simple fact that you feel any kind of guilt about it at all means that you are not what Tromell accused you of being. If those Guado had left us alone, they might still be alive now, but they did not and they paid for their choice."

Charlie stared at Auron then, torn between more tears and the desire to kiss him, but she did neither. Just then, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri exited the Farplane, looking rather pleased with themselves. "Hey, we found the thing we were looking for, ya?" Wakka proudly stated, holding out a bright copper disc with snowflakes etched around the outer edge. "I don't know what the word _Nogah_ means, but…" He trailed off then, seeing the distraught look on Charlie's face and the angry expressions Rikku and Auron both wore. "What happened?"

"That stupid jerk Tromell happened!" Rikku growled, glaring at the Farplane portal as though trying to set it on fire with her thoughts. "He came in here and said all kinds of nasty things to Charlie! He called her a demon because of what happened in Macalania!"

The big blitzer's expression darkened and he turned away slightly, as though he intended to go back into the Farplane and teach the elderly Guado the error of his ways. "Wakka, don't…" Charlie said, her voice subdued. "It's not worth it. We've gotten what we came for, so let's just go, all right?"

Wakka looked mutinous, but finally replied, "If you say so."

She smiled weakly, and nodded. "Thank you."


	39. In the Heart of the Storm

Chapter 39: In the Heart of the Storm

After the event just outside the Farplane, the group decided to head to the Thunder Plains and not risk another attack from any of the Guado, physical or verbal. For once, Rikku did not make any sort of protest, her rage at Tromell's verbal attack on Charlie trumping her astraphobia, though she did flinch slightly as she heard the first rumbles of thunder signaling their arrival at their destination. The Thunder Plains were the same as ever: black as night with only the omnipresent lightning revealing the lifeless landscape around them. Crossing the plain was relatively easy at first, aside from the fiends, but when they made it halfway across, the eternal storm suddenly grew worse as the steady downpour became a torrent, while the winds howled and lashed at the group as they took shelter near one of the lightning towers. "What the hell is going on?" Charlie asked, shouting so that her voice carried above the roar of the wind.

Everyone else looked around warily, as though expecting an attack at any moment, but Auron then stopped, looked at the younger guardian with a grave expression, and replied, "Ramuh."

Charlene looked at her friends, clearly confused by how nervous they all seemed, and said, "I'm sorry, but what's a Ramuh?"

Yuna shook her head. "Not what…who. Ramuh is an unsent."

"In life, he was a Black Mage with an incredible talent for Thunder magics," Lulu explained, going into teacher-mode. "But instead of using that power to help people, he twisted it to his own ends, attacking people attempting to cross the Thunder Plains and demanding tribute. The attacks went on for years, until another Black Mage challenged him to an arcane duel. Ramuh accepted, of course, but in his arrogance never believed that any challenger could defeat him. When that mage defeated him, however, Ramuh could not bear the loss, so he called the storms down on himself and his challenger in an attempt to destroy them both."

Lulu fell silent then, but Charlie could not help but exclaim, "Don't stop there! What happened to the other Black Mage?"

"He went on to become High Summoner Gandof," Auron replied as a particularly loud crack of thunder roared overhead. "Unfortunately, Ramuh's final attack prevented Gandof from sending him, so he still roams the Thunder Plains when the storms grow violent. Jecht, Braska, and I met him once."

"So did you fight him?" Rikku asked, looking around nervously as another roll of thunder boomed close by.

The swordsman shook his head. "Jecht wanted to, but Braska refused and bribed Ramuh, instead. I do not know what he might demand this time. It is different for every group."

Charlene opened her mouth again, wanting to know what else an undead lightning sorcerer could want, but then several bolts dropped down around their sheltering tower, and booming laughter rang out even above the crash of the ensuing thunder. Once the last reverberations died away, a very tall, thin, and pale-skinned man dressed in dark purple robes with a shiny copper medallion draped around his neck stepped out of the gloom. The stranger pointed a long, dull-looking spear at the group as he surveyed them with eyes that flickered electric blue-white. "A summoner's group, eh?" he said, staring intently at Yuna. "Never saw one quite so large before, though. It is just too bad for you that you came into my domain at the wrong time, my dear."

"Ramuh, I…"

"_Lord_ Ramuh," the sorcerer corrected, his eyes flickering brighter as the tingle of static filled the air. "Be courteous now, summoner. After all; I hold all of your lives in my hands."

Yuna steeled herself, and then replied, "Lord Ramuh, we apologize for our intrusion, but please let us pass."

"As I said, it is too bad you came now," Ramuh smirked. "Maybe I will let you pass…if your tribute pleases me."

"So what is it that you want?" Auron growled, clearly losing patience with the unsent.

Ramuh stopped smirking at Yuna and fixed the swordsman with a stormy glare. "Ah…I remember you," he finally said. "The 'legendary guardian' of Lord Braska. You have grown cranky in your old age."

Charlie winced at that comment. _"Dude, undead sorcerer or not, calling Auron old isn't exactly a safe thing to do if you want to walk away with all of your limbs intact."_

Auron said nothing, but glared back at the Black Mage as though he would love to do something violent to him. Deadly silence ensued, punctuated only by the rumbles of thunder and the sound of the wind hissing over the barren ground. Finally, Ramuh stopped glowering at Auron, and turned his attention to the rest of the group. He studied each of them in turn without saying a word, until his gaze rested on Rikku, who cowered in the back, white as a sheet and quivering with absolute terror. "You," the mage said, pointing at the terrified Al Bhed.

Rikku stared at him and froze, her expression similar to a deer caught in the headlights, and let out a small squeak, but she said nothing. "I like your fear, little girl," Ramuh announced, leering at her. "I think you will do quite nicely as a tribute."

The sorcerer's words and lascivious expression sent chills down Charlie's spine, but those chills quickly turned to burning anger as Rikku let out another whimper and took a step back, clearly intending to bolt. "No," Charlie snarled, stepping between Rikku and Ramuh, her sword drawn and ready to strike. "You can't have her. We aren't playing your perverted little games, you sick son of a bitch!"

The unsent actually gaped at her, apparently surprised that anyone would speak to him in such a manner. Then fury replaced the surprise, and his eyes blazed brightly with captured lightning. "Girl, do you have any idea what I could do to you?" he growled, his hand clenching tightly on the dull spear he carried. "Do you even know who I am?"

"Yeah…a pathetic bully who gets his jollies by terrorizing other people," she replied without pausing. "I don't know what you'd even want a girl for…it's not like you'd know what to do with one."

Ramuh let out a scream of incoherent rage and raised his spear as though he might throw it, but Charlie moved quicker and cast a Fire spell at him. When it reached him, however, a small silvery-green flash appeared between the spell and his body, and the magic bounced away, erupting harmlessly into a burst of purple-grey flames ten feet to the right. It still served its purpose and startled the sorcerer long enough for Charlie to dart forward and lash out with her sword. Ramuh managed to bring down his spear in time to throw off her aim, but the edge of her blade still managed to graze his side, causing a small cut that bled freely and shot tiny sparks of electricity. "You stupid little _whore_!" he screamed, a crack of thunder emphasizing the last word.

"Your mother!" Charlie snarled in return, whipping her sword around for another strike.

Ramuh slashed at her with the spear, and this time managed to block her attack with one hand and blasted her away with a Thunder spell with the other. The spell was only a low-level casting, but it still threw Charlie back several paces and knocked her off her feet. Ramuh then made ready to fire a stronger one at her, but then Kimahri stepped in and sent him flying with a great gout of water from his jaws, similar to the one used by the Chimeras of Macalania Woods. Wakka and Auron quickly tried to follow up with attacks of their own, but the Black Mage was faster, and managed to bat Wakka's ball away before bringing his spear up to block Auron's blade. At the same time, Charlie struggled back to her feet as Lulu and Yuna hurried over to her side. "I'm fine," she grunted, as Yuna cast healing spells on her.

At the same time, Lulu tried to assist the others by casting Watera at Ramuh, but it bounced away just as Charlie's Fire spell had done. "He has something with a Reflect enchantment on it," the older woman said, her crimson eyes narrowing at the unsent. "It's on something he's wearing, and not something he cast on himself."

"How can you tell?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Because you cast magic at him first," Yuna answered. "If Ramuh had cast the spell on himself, it would have dissipated after your spell tried to hit him. That is the drawback of Reflect: it only works against one spell at a time. It's more effective to enchant an item like a ring or a bracelet, though it takes a very long time to make the enchantment last through more than a few battles."

"Which would be why there aren't many enchanted items around, and why they're so very expensive," Lulu finished.

Charlene did not reply right away, but watched the fight, which seemed to have become a stalemate, as Auron, Kimahri, and Wakka were unable to do any major damage, but kept Ramuh from casting any formidable spells, as well. Finally, she looked back at Lulu, and asked, "What about a weapon?"

"What?"

"Can the Reflect spell deflect magic cast through a weapon? If one of us manages to stab Ramuh, could you channel your magic down the blade and into him?"

Lulu looked at Charlie as though she suspected she was mad, but finally answered, "_If_ you can stab him and _if_ you can keep him from getting free, then yes, I could channel spells through your weapon, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, it's going to have to be _your_ sword to be truly effective. Water and Ice magics don't channel as well through metal blades."

"Understood. Wait until I give the signal, and then blast as many Water spells as you can manage through my sword." Charlie said, and then turned her attention back to Yuna. "Yuna, I want you to concentrate on healing and defense for right now, but be ready to perform the Sending at any moment. If things go bad, then summon Bahamut or Anima and squash that bastard, but no matter what, make sure he goes to the Farplane, all right?"

"W…what about me?"

Charlene turned around to see Rikku standing nearby. The Al Bhed was still very pale, and obviously terrified, but on her feet nonetheless. "Rikku, stay here and protect Yuna and Lulu," Charlie told her. "I have no idea if any other fiends will try to jump in or not, but keep an eye out just in case."

Rikku nodded, and Charlie threw herself back into the fray as Ramuh managed to shove Auron, Wakka, and Kimahri away with a wall of crackling static. She darted past the three men as they stumbled backwards, and struck at the Black Mage, but he quickly parried her blow and then followed up with a vicious stab, which she barely avoided. "I hope you realize you have only made things worse for your friend," Ramuh snarled, tossing a Thundara at Charlene to keep her at bay. "Once I am finished with you, her screams will echo across these plains for weeks before I finally let her die!"

The spell missed, but the bolt's close proximity still made her skin tingle, though that sensation quickly faded beneath the towering rage that flared up at the unsent's words. Her only response was a wordless growl, and she slashed at Ramuh again, this time aiming high and throwing her weight behind the blow. He tried to force her back, but the two of them locked in a stalemate, unable to overpower each other. They remained that way until Wakka managed to recover as Yuna cast curative magics on him, Kimahri, and Auron, and the blitz player quickly scrambled to his feet and slung his blitzball at the two of them with all his might. The sphere rocketed just over Charlie's head and smashed into Ramuh's face with enough force to knock him back several steps. Charlene stumbled as well, but recovered as she noticed the Black Mage was vulnerable and she charged forward again, this time stabbing him through the gut until her blade emerged from his back.

As she struck him, the familiar tugging sensation of a Celestial object washed over her, and she realized that the medallion on Ramuh's chain had the symbol of Venus engraved on it. Without even thinking about it, Charlie reached up and snatched it, easily snapping the chain and tossing it over her shoulder toward the others. Surprised and a little confused by both the attack and the sudden robbery, Ramuh dropped his spear and grabbed the sword impaling him with both hands, trying to pull it free. The long barb at the end of Brotherhood's blade, however, kept him from doing so, even as his attempts to get away grew more frantic. Charlie started to let go of the hilt as she noticed tiny arcs of electricity sparking across the metal gauntlet on her right arm, but quickly tightened her grip again as she remembered her plan. "Lulu, now!" she screamed, holding onto her sword for dear life.

In response, Lulu and her Moogle doll both raised their arms in unison, a marine blue aura shimmering around them before shifting and swirling around Charlie and Brotherhood. The crystal blade flared brightly, and then a huge burst of water exploded out of it, slamming into both Ramuh and Charlie. The sorcerer let out an unearthly shriek of pain, while the guardian gritted her teeth and held on for dear life as a second Waterga spell exploded, followed by a third, and then a fourth. Auron watched in stunned astonishment, and took a step forward as though he intended to pull Charlene out of the fray, when Yuna said, "Sir Auron, don't."

The swordsman turned to look at the summoner, clearly intending to argue, but she cut him off before he could protest. "If Charlie lets go of the sword, or if you pull her away, Lulu won't be able to keep casting through the blade."

"Through her sword?" Auron raised an eyebrow. "Whose idea was that?"

"Charlie's. When Lulu tried to cast at him after she did, we knew that he had an enchanted item on him, so…"

"So her idea was to use herself as a way to cast from the inside," Auron concluded, his tone now flat and emotionless.

Yuna nodded, but said nothing, as Lulu cast spell after spell and Charlie somehow managed to hold onto her weapon, though she could barely breathe and felt as though a truck had hit her. _"It doesn't matter. If that rat bastard's still kicking, then I can't let go."_

After what felt like an eternity, Lulu finally ran out of energy to cast, but by that time, Ramuh's appearance had changed. Bluish-white cracks radiated from his eye sockets and covered his entire body, releasing pyreflies and arcs of lightning in all directions, and upon seeing that, Yuna immediately began the Sending. The sorcerer let out a hideous shriek at the feeling of his pyreflies draining away, and tried summoning his magic one last time. Once he did, however, the cracks in his body grew even wider, and he promptly exploded. The force of the blast shattered Brotherhood's blade and sent Charlie flying; the sword's hilt still in her hand as she flew several yards, hit the ground hard, and did not get up again.

Rikku was the first one to reach the fallen guardian, and let out a yelp at what she saw. Charlie's clothing and hair looked badly scorched, while angry red burns spotted her bare skin in abstract patterns. She still held onto Brotherhood, but all that remained of the weapon was a partially melted and broken blade attached to the hilt. "Charlie, lusa uh, fyga ib!" Rikku cried, pulling out a Potion and pouring it on her skin. (Come on, wake up!)

The Potion partially healed the burns, but Charlie's skin remained ashen beneath them, and she still did not wake. Now very worried, Rikku held a hand close to Charlie's mouth and nose, and then choked back a sob as no breath came out. "She's not breathing!" the Al Bhed cried, clearly on the verge of panic.

…_Flash…_

Charlene opened her eyes, sat up, and looked around in confusion as she realized that she now sat in her front yard, instead of the Thunder Plains. As she looked around, however, she noticed that everything seemed…wrong. Everything was cold and grey, and even as she watched, random things nearby slowly faded into fog or crumbled to dust, while huge walls of black ice out in the distance cracked with a sound like thunder. _**::What…what's going on?::**_ a terribly familiar voice asked. _**::Why is everything decaying?::**_

Charlie turned around to see the shadow lurking nearby, its appearance the same as the first time she saw it in the dreamscape on Gagazet. At first, its expression looked just as confused as she felt, but then it twisted, and it turned to glare at her. _**::Charlie…what did you do?::**_

She opened her mouth, preparing to accuse the demon of their current predicament, but then she remembered what happened. "Ramuh…" she muttered.

_**::What?::**_

"I was fighting Ramuh, and he exploded," Charlene replied, brushing dust away as a nearby tree collapsed. She looked down at herself and noticed the severed remnants of a silver cord sticking out of her chest, and then she looked up at the demon and grinned, "I hate to tell you this, but I think I'm dead."

The shadow's glare slowly shifted, drifting through denial and then settling on terror. _**::No! You can't be dead! You can't be!::**_

Charlie smirked as a nearby tree collapsed around her, turning to a large pile of dust and broken branches. "Well, it seems as though I am. Sorry, but you're just going to have to crawl back to whatever hellhole Seymour called you from without getting to hurt anyone after all."

The demon gaped at her, apparently stunned by her reaction, but Charlene just shrugged, turned around, and started walking away. Before she could go very far, however, the shadow grabbed her by both shoulders and violently snatched her backward. Charlie squirmed in its grip, but all she managed to do was turn so that she stood face-to-face with the beast. _**::No, you are NOT dead!::**_ it snarled, its face mere inches from her own. _**::I will not go back to the Master and tell him that I failed because you were a suicidal fool!::**_

"Well, that's just too damn bad," she spat back, sneering. "Oh, and when you get back to your beloved 'master', be sure to tell him I said he can go f-"

Charlie didn't finish her sentence, because at that point, the demon shoved her backward, and then impaled her through the stomach with the long stinger at the end of its tail. A wave of burning cold washed over her, starting from the point of impact and spreading outward and her mouth fell open in a silent scream as she tried to pull the stinger out. _**::Live…::**_ it hissed, as the terrible chill poured through her. _**::Live and destroy all that you love…::**_

The shadow withdrew its stinger then, and as it did so, its form faded from solid black to a deep, semitransparent smoke color, as though it had lost part of itself. While it faded, Charlene writhed on the ground, still choking on her screams as the searing frost filled her, and shadows crept out along the severed cord, filling in the missing places among silver with deepest black. As the cord slowly rebuilt, Charlie heard other voices, familiar ones, and they grew stronger as the world she lay in faded out.

"_She's not breathing!"_ A young female voice, high-pitched with hysteria, called out.

"_Give her to me, quick!"_ A male voice this time, one with an unusual accent, responded. It had a sense of command to it that Charlie had never heard before…at least not from that voice, anyway.

"Hey…that voice…is that…"

Charlene tried to finish the question, but the cord finished reconnecting, and a howling wind kicked up, drowning out all thought.

…_Flash…_

Charlie awoke to the sensation of someone's mouth on hers, and them blowing air into her lungs, and she shoved them away as she broke into wracking coughs as she sucked in deep breaths of rain-scented air. Her vision swam as pain seared what felt like every single nerve in her body. She tried to scream, but all she managed was a hoarse croak, and then the cool, soothing sensation of healing magic rolled over her, dulling it down from unbearable to merely intolerable levels. Slowly, Charlene opened her eyes, and she stared up at Wakka, Yuna, and Rikku hovering over her. She did not say or do anything at first, but eventually, she looked past them until she spotted Lulu and croaked, "Hey Lulu…Wakka's actually a pretty good kisser…thought you ought to know."

Rikku let out a burst of hysterical laughter, but quickly quieted herself as Charlie looked past her to Auron, who pushed his way past the Al Bhed and knelt beside her. "Auron, get the chain," she mumbled, drifting in a half-conscious state. "It goes with the disc from the Farplane…and the spear…"

"Enough," the swordsman replied, gently smoothing her hair away from her face before taking her into his arms. "Rest for now, Charlie. We aren't far from the Travel Agency."

"Whatever you say, Chief," she slurred as her eyes slid shut once more. "Just glad everyone's all right."


End file.
